Texas Terrors
by Duffy1972
Summary: MH FanFic #4: It's the holiday season and Mattlock meets his cousin Will for the first time. Most of the characters are borrowed for fun.
1. Chapter 1

Winters in Texas have almost never exhibited the spectacular snow-covered vistas as other parts of the country during the same time of the year. Mostly, everything looks dead and barren and the holiday season of 1955 was no different. The classes of Barrick Elementary School were holding their annual Christmas parties the morning of December 16, the last day of school before the holiday break. It was a half-day for all the students, and at the end of the parties, teachers let students outside to run off all of the sugar consumed before sending the children home.

Miss Weatherford, C.J.'s kindergarten teacher, let her class out first, and the children, wearing their light jackets and coats, ran out to the playground to play on the equipment, wander around a bit, or just jibber-jabber. Other classes let out gradually until the playground was filled with sugar-fueled children aged kindergarten to sixth grade. The younger children played on and off the equipment. The older children talked in small groups to each other. Several teachers came out to supervise – many using the opportunity as a smoking break. C.J. sat on a swing and contemplatively dragged her feet through the foot trails left by other students. She was wearing blue cuffed slacks and over her shirt and vest, she wore a light, ecru, story book style tweed jacket that flared out with wide pleats. She wore her hair in a ponytail and bangs. Other girls and boys were competing on the other swings over who could go the highest.

Mattlock came out with Miss Hotchkiss' class, running far ahead of the group, wearing a green, plaid flannel shirt and khaki corduroy pants with cuffs and brown shoes. Once on the playground, he met C.J.'s neighborhood friends, Charlie and Steven. At first, they talked with each other with their hands planted in their pockets and kicking the playground sand. Periodically, they would laugh. C.J. observed them from her swing and started swinging casually. Her best friend Julia lived next door to her but didn't go to Barrick Elementary, and when Charlie and Steven were at school, they tended, understandably, to want to play with other boys. C.J. had gained the unwarranted label of "teacher's pet" early in her educational career. She had made friends with one girl at her school, but she had taken off early for the holiday and wasn't present on this day. Mattlock would make an effort to talk to C.J. at recesses since they met on her birthday in October of that year, but like a lot of boys, he wasn't particularly chatty, but more active. And he'd only been marginally successful in encouraging her to play.

The seesaw became available on the playground. Mattlock saw C.J. and he ran to the seesaw and staked his claim on it.

"C.J.!" he yelled.

She stopped swinging and looked at him.

"C'mon over!" he yelled, motioning her over to the seesaw.

She looked around at the other children who were busy playing, and she hopped off her swing and started walking over. On the way, she saw Mattlock shooing other children away from the other end of the seesaw.

As she approached, she heard him say, "I'm saving this for C.J. It's our turn!" And a disappointed child walked away. As C.J. got closer, Mattlock patted the lumber with his right hand, indicating that C.J. should take a seat. He lowered the plank so she could get on. She enthusiastically jumped on and straddled the equipment and gently kicked off the ground and up into the air, driving Mattlock downward. He responded in kind and the two began their dance.

"Whatcha doin' for Christmas, C.J.?" he asked with a big smile.

"I'm not sure. I think we're going to Dallas to see Gramma and Grampa," she replied. She clarified, "My Daddy's mom and dad."

"What about your mom's mom and dad?" he inquired.

"We already celebrated Hanukah with them. They don't have Christmas at their house. They're Jewish," she said.

"Really?" he said, seeming flummoxed that someone would NOT celebrate Christmas. "What's Hanukah?"

"I don't understand it yet," she admitted. "At Mawmaw and Poppa's house they light candles and there are food and games. We don't do anything for Hanukah at our house. What are you doing for Christmas?" she asked.

"My aunt and uncle and cousin Will are coming to visit us for the first time," Mattlock replied.

"That sounds like fun," she said.

"I can't wait," he said.

"Julia and I will probably play together a lot while we're on break," she said.

"She's funny. Do you get presents on Hanukah?" he asked.

"Children have to give away something, not get something," she said.

"Wow! Do you get _any_ presents at Christmas?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. Momma and Daddy and Gramma and Grampa all give me presents," she said.

"Whew!" he exclaimed.

"I hope it snows," she said.

"Probably won't," he said.

"Yeah," she said in a disappointed tone. "What are you going to do with your cousin when he comes?"

"I don't know. Depends on what he wants to do. Daddy says he's the guest and that's who gets to decide," he said matter-of-factly. "I hope it stays warm and we can play a lot outside and go exploring and play with our toys that we get for Christmas," he said.

"Sounds fun," she said.

"You should come out sometime and play," he said.

"I'll ask Momma," she said.

"Great!" he exclaimed with a big smile. The two seesawed for a while until teachers started rounding everyone up to go out front of the school to either get in their parents' cars or on a bus. C.J. and Mattlock ran up to the front of the school. He grabbed C.J. by the hand and pulled her over to where his father was parked. She was surprised, but went along willingly and kept up.

"Daddy, can C.J. come over to the house sometime?" he asked.

"Of course," he said. "If it's alright with her parents…. Hello C.J.," Bill said with a smile through the rolled down passenger window of his car.

"Hi Mr. Houston," she said.

"You can come over anytime," he replied. "Just have your momma or daddy call me and we'll set something up."

"Hop on in, Mattlock. I'm going to take you home, and I have to run back to work for a bit before dinner," Bill said. Mattlock had been standing there the whole time holding C.J.'s hand and he finally let go and jumped into his father's car.

"See you after Christmas, C.J.," he said with a big smile. Houston jumped into his father's car and waved at C.J. through the passenger window as he and his father pulled out and drove away. C.J. got on her bus and it pulled out of the school parking lot and went on its daily route to deliver children to their families.

"What's Jewish?" Mattlock asked.

Bill glanced at Mattlock while he drove. "What makes you ask, son?"

"C.J. told me her grandma and grandpa are Jewish," he replied.

"Well…let's see…how can I explain this…," Bill mused aloud.

Mattlock waited, listening intently.

"Jewish people are a specific group of people who came from a place called the Fertile Crescent. In the Bible, they are called God's Chosen People," Bill said.

"Chosen?" Mattlock asked.

Bill seemed to be stumbling. "Abraham in the Bible made a covenant with God and became the first Jew. Jewish people worship the same God we do only they call him Yahweh and we call him 'God the Father.' The Jewish and Christian people worship the same God, but Jewish people don't worship Jesus."

"Still doesn't explain 'chosen,' Daddy," Mattlock said.

"They're chosen because God chose Abraham. Do you know who else is in the family of Abraham?"

Mattlock stared at him, befuddled.

Bill answered his own question. "Jesus, Mattlock. Jesus was Jewish."

"I thought Jesus was a Christian," Mattlock said.

"No. He wasn't, but we are all from the family of Abraham," Bill said. "Jesus was a member of the Jewish faith when he walked on earth. He was what they call a Rabbi or a Jewish teacher," Bill explained further.

"But if Jesus was Jewish and we're all from the family of Abraham, are we Jewish?" Mattlock asked.

"No, Mattlock," Bill replied. He paused and sighed, and said, stroking his chin, "this isn't working. Why don't we save this for another time? I'm not equipped to explain this and you may be a little young to understand the intricacies of religious doctrine."

Mattlock just stared blankly at him and Bill took notice.

"Which grandparents of C.J.'s are Jewish? Her mother's or her father's?" Bill asked.

"C.J.'s momma," Mattlock said.

"How about this…Next time we're around C.J.'s momma, I'll have her explain it to you. That way you can get the information from the source. Okay?"

"I guess," Mattlock said. He paused for a bit and openly speculated, "If we're all from Abraham, and Jesus is from Abraham, and we're all in a family, does that make us all cousins?"

Bill smiled. "Yes, Mattlock. That's a good way to look at it. We're all cousins. But I think I will have Cynthia explain it to you more in depth one day."

Bill drove Mattlock home and Bo and Lamar greeted them on horses as they pulled up. Bill pulled to a stop and rolled down his window. "Hi Bo. Hi Lamar," Bill said.

"Mr. Houston," Bo acknowledged, as Lamar tipped his cowboy hat at Bill.

"Would you two mind taking Mattlock for the afternoon? I've got some work to finish up at the office," Bill said.

"Sure thing, Mr. Houston," Bo replied.

Mattlock jumped out of the passenger side of the car and ran over to the two men. He ran up to Lamar who sat high on a dapple gray mare, and Lamar reached down to Mattlock and pulled him by his hands up onto the front of the saddle. Mattlock held onto the horse's mane.

"What are we gonna do?" Mattlock asked with enthusiasm.

"Well, hold your horses, little cowboy," Bo said. He turned to Bill and asked, "What time will you be back so we can have him ready for supper?"

"I should be back around 5 o'clock as usual," Bill replied. "See you later, son," Bill said.

"Bye Daddy," Mattlock replied, and then Bill pulled out of the driveway and back to work.

"Well, Mattlock, what do you wanna do?" Bo asked atop his Palomino gelding.

"Ride!" Mattlock yelled.

"I figger'd as much, you little rascal," Bo replied with a big grin. The two men and Mattlock rode leisurely around the expansive property. Periodically, they'd both get off their horses and feed some cattle – leaving Mattlock watching, high astride of Lamar's horse.

They rode around for a while, sometimes stopping to do a variety of chores. It didn't feel like work to Mattlock who was ecstatic to be riding. Few things made him happier. The terrain was a mix of wooded areas, low sloped hills with small shrubs, flat, open areas, and a variety of small ponds, trails and gravel roads. The Houston mansion was situated at the northwest corner of the ranch which had fencing all around its 2500 acres. The mansion had a large concrete and wrought iron front gate, a vast front lawn, and a smaller back lawn that backed up to forest.

"Are you excited 'bout the visit from your cousin?" Lamar asked Mattlock.

"Yes! I can't wait!" Mattlock exclaimed.

"I had a cousin I was close with when I was a boy. We had a lot of fun together. Much better than a brother or a sister. It's like an automatic friend," Lamar philosophized. "Bo, did you have a cousin you were close to?"

"You could say that, Lamar," he said, and winked at Lamar.

Lamar looked at him askance and took his hat off and waved Bo's comment away. "You know that's not what I mean, Bo. I swear, you cain't help yourself," Lamar said. The ranch hands' bawdy witty banter was lost on Mattlock. He pretended to be a cowboy on the back of Lamar's horse by holding on to the horse's mane like it was the reins.

"What are you going to do while your cousin Will is here?" Bo asked.

"Ride!" Mattlock yelled.

"You sure you're gonna have enough time for that?" Bo asked, looking at Lamar and winking.

"Well…yes!" Mattlock exclaimed.

"I don't know. It's gonna be Christmas. Loads of new toys to play with. Games to play," Bo said.

"Now Bo, there's always time to ride, right Mattlock?" Lamar countered Bo's teasing.

"Yeah. We'll ride, no matter what else we do," Mattlock asserted, sitting up straight on the horse and looking determined. His brown, wavy hair was fuzzy from the static generated between his hair, flannel shirt, and the dry Texas winter air.

"If you say, so," Bo replied teasingly.

"Besides playing with your new presents and riding horses, what else are ya gonna do, Mattlock?" Lamar asked.

"Help you and Bo with chores," Mattlock replied.

"Mattlock…it's your Christmas vacation. You don't have to help us," Bo said.

"It's fun," Mattlock said.

Bo and Lamar just looked at each other incredulously.

"Aw, kid….you don't know what yer talkin' 'bout," Bo replied.

"Besides, Mattlock, there's not much that needs doin' in the winter on the ranch," Lamar said.

Mattlock shrugged them off. "I'm going to take Will exploring too," Mattlock said.

"Could be a might cold, Mattlock," Lamar said.

"We'll wear coats," Mattlock retorted.

"Well, sounds like you have a plan," Bo said.

"Yep," Mattlock replied.

"We better get to choppin' up some firewood," Lamar said to Bo.

"Okay, okay," Bo said as he got back up on his horse. "Let's go to the west side of the property. I saw some old, dry, fallen timbers there the other day."

"Ride fast, Lamar!" Mattlock exclaimed.

"Whoa, boy! Whatever happened to 'please?'" Bo said. "I tell ya, Lamar, kids today don't have no respect for their elders."

"Uh-huh," Lamar said. "You got that right."

"Ride fast, _please_?" Mattlock said more quietly a second time.

"What do you think, Bo?" Lamar asked with a grin on his face.

"The boy _did_ say 'please," Bo replied.

Lamar looked at Bo and signaled with his head to go west without saying anything out loud. Then, Lamar put his arm tightly around Mattlock's waist, shook the reins suddenly, and kicked the horse to move. Mattlock fell back against Lamar's stomach with wide eyes and a huge smile. Bo kept up from behind. Eventually, they made it to the west side of the property and Mattlock sat on a felled log, while the two men took turns chopping wood.


	2. Chapter 2

After about an hour and a half, Lamar and Bo rode back to the mansion with Mattlock, leaving the piles of wood they had chopped behind to be picked up another time.

"Okay, Mattlock. Here's your stop," Lamar said, and lowered Mattlock at the base of the tiered steps to the mansion. Looks like your daddy's car's back. Run along, now."

"Thanks Lamar! Thanks Bo!" Mattlock said, running up the steps, stumbling a few times on the way. Bachelor Bo headed back to the barn to finish up some work. Lamar headed home to his second wife, Beulah. He would catch hell from her if he was late for dinner. After all, Beulah was a three-time champion barroom brawler. Mattlock arrived at the front door and turned the front door knob with both hands and went inside. He ran into the living room where Bill was reading the daily paper. He ran to Bill and jumped on top of his paper and into his arms and hugged him around his neck. "Hi Daddy!"

Bill pulled the paper out from under Mattlock and placed it on the end table while Mattlock hugged him.

"Hi son," he said with a smile.

"I had so much fun today with Bo and Lamar," Mattlock said.

"Glad to hear," Bill replied. "What did you all do?"

"We fed the cows, rode the horses, and they chopped some wood," Mattlock said.

"Sounds like an eventful afternoon," Bill replied.

"It was fun! Lamar rode fast on the horse!" Mattlock exclaimed.

"I bet that was exciting," Bill replied.

"It was! I can't wait until I'm big enough to ride my own horse," Mattlock said.

"It'll come sooner than you think," Bill reassured. "Do you have any homework?"

"Nope. The teacher didn't give us any, 'cause of the school break," Mattlock quickly replied.

"Well, that's good," Bill said. "Just means more time with your cousin Will."

"When are they coming?" Mattlock asked.

"Today is Friday, so … this coming Wednesday. Just a few more days," Bill said.

"I can't wait," Mattlock replied.

"I know. I'm looking forward to seeing my brother and your uncle again. It's been a long time," Bill replied. He continued and said, "Sergei's getting dinner ready right now. Why don't you go upstairs and get cleaned up for dinner."

"Okay, Daddy," Mattlock replied. He ran upstairs and Bill picked up his paper and resumed reading it. He leafed through it quickly, not finding any news he was interested in. He placed it back on the end table and leaned his head back and rested his eyes.

Sergei came out of the kitchen and approached Bill quietly. "Mr. Houston…" Startled, Bill opened his eyes and looked up at Sergei. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. I made some traditional Russian dishes for you and Mattlock tonight," Sergei said. Sergei was thirty-three years old with dark, but thinning hair, with a mole on the front of his left cheek, next to his somewhat prominent nose.

"That will be fine, Sergei," Bill said.

"I thought we could discuss what is needed for when your family visits, since the weekend is upon us. I can go pick up what we need tomorrow," Sergei said.

"That will be fine," Bill replied.

"Would you like help decorating the tree?" Sergei asked.

"That would be great," Bill said.

"My pleasure, Mr. Houston," Sergei replied. "Are Bo and Lamar getting the tree?"

"Yes. Tomorrow. Early in the morning," Bill replied.

Mattlock came running down the stairs, cleaner than he was before. Bill said, "Slow down on the stairs, son. You're going to accidentally roll down them one of these days."

"Okay, Daddy. Bo and Lamar are getting the tree tomorrow?" Mattlock said, having overheard the grown men's conversation.

"Yes," Bill said.

"Can I help?" Mattlock asked.

"If you can get up early enough," Bill replied.

"I can!" Mattlock assured, and jumped in Bill's lap again.

Bill squeezed Mattlock tight and said, "Come to think of it. It sounds like fun. I may join you all."

"And I can pick up groceries and supplies while you're all out doing that," Sergei said.

"That's what we'll do, then," Bill said.

"I'm going to go back in the kitchen and finish up dinner," Sergei said.

"Alright, Sergei. Just let us know when it's ready," Bill replied. Sergei confirmed he would do just that and went back into the kitchen. Mattlock jumped off of Bill's lap and went to the other side of the living room. He picked up his _Dick Tracy Siren Squad Car_ and came back over to the coffee table, driving the toy car around the legs and making the siren go off periodically for effect.

Mattlock stopped playing and asked, "Daddy, can we have C.J. over while I'm out of school?"

Bill leaned forward with his forearms on his thighs, looking down at Mattlock. "I'm sure C.J. is going to be spending the holidays with her family, isn't she?" Bill replied.

"Some of it. I don't know," Mattlock said, and thought to himself for a bit. "There'll be time after the holidays, right?"

"Well, let's see…," Bill said. "There'll be a little time since your aunt and uncle and cousin are going to be here the 21st through the 27th. That will leave a few days between then and New Year's Eve."

"Maybe she can come then?" Mattlock said.

"Like I said, son…It really depends on what her family's doing at the time, but we can plan to talk to her momma or daddy about it," said Bill.

"Okay, Daddy," Mattlock said as he began moving his toy car back and forth again on the floor while he was on his hands and knees.

"You sure have taken a shine to C.J., haven't you?" Bill said with a lopsided grin and with smiling eyes.

"I like her," Mattlock said.

"What do you like about her?" Bill asked.

"She knows a lot of stuff. She's smart. She's funny," Mattlock listed. "She's tough."

"How much time do you spend with her at school?" Bill said.

"Just sometimes at recess," Mattlock replied. "She only has one friend at school. I mean, 'cept for me."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. She gets called names by some of the other kids," Mattlock said.

"She does?" Bill looked concerned.

"Yeah. 'Teacher's Pet.' 'Bookworm," Mattlock replied.

"Oh. What do you think of that?" Bill asked.

"I think the other kids are just jealous," Mattlock said.

"Well, that's very astute, son," Bill said.

"What's 'stute?" Mattlock asked.

"_As_tute means you're observant, incisive, or wise. You're also good at reading character," Bill said.

"I guess. They just don't know what they're talking about. They haven't even tried to get to know her. If they did, they'd like her like I do," Mattlock said.

"You're right, son. I like C.J. too. She's a smart little girl, like you say, and will only get smarter, given who her parents are and how much they prize education. People _do_ get jealous when someone's better at something than they are," Bill said.

He looked up at Bill and said, "Well, that's just stupid. Who are they going to learn from?"

"Once again, son, you amaze me," Bill said with a smile and briskly rubbed the top of Mattlock's head. Mattlock smiled and pushed the toy car some more. "We'll have C.J. over soon. I promise."

Sergei entered the living room. "Dinner is served," he said.

Bill and Mattlock followed Sergei into the kitchen where there were three place settings on a six person table. There was a formal dining room but it was only used for entertainment. Usually Sergei ate with the Houstons and sometimes Bo, Lamar, or Cattle Annie would join them.

"Smells good in here, Sergei," Bill said.

"I hope you like it," Sergei replied as Mattlock climbed into his chair with a booster seat.

"I'm sure we will. You always make something delicious, Sergei," Bill said.

"Thank you, sir," Sergei said.

Bill shook his head and smiled. "I don't know how many times I have to ask you to call me Bill, Sergei," he said.

"It's not my habit. Sorry, sir," Sergei replied.

"Feel free to make it your habit. I mean, how long have we known each other, now?" Bill asked. Then he said, "Didn't we meet at McIntyre's dedication of the Cloverleaf Hotel in 1949. We've known each other for almost 6 years and I've been sponsoring you for your citizenship almost that whole time."

"And I appreciate it. It's just not my habit to call my employer by their first name. I'm old world in a modern time, sir," Sergei said.

"Sergei, you're not just my employee. You're our friend. Right Mattlock?"

Mattlock smiled, sat up straight and said, "Yep!"

"I mean, you eat dinner with us almost every night, Sergei. Hell, we're practically family," Bill said.

Mattlock interrupted. "Daddy, you said the 'h' word."

"You're right, Mattlock. I guess Cattle Annie's rubbing off on me," Bill said and squeezed the top of Mattlock's shoulder. He turned back to Sergei. "Anyway, Sergei. Please try to call me Bill." He squeezed Sergei's shoulder as well and said, "Even if _you_ don't consider us so yet, Mattlock and I consider you to be family."

Sergei bowed his head slightly and replied, "Thank you… Bill."

"There you go," Bill said. "So what are we having tonight?"

"We're having borscht, shashlyk, and pirozhki. I've poured you some madeira wine from the old country and little Mattlock is having milk," Sergei said.

"Certainly is quite the spread," Bill said with a smile, picking up his fork. Mattlock stuffed his cloth napkin inside the front of his shirt and dug right in. After a few moments, Bill said, "Mmmmm. This borscht is great."

"Thank you," Sergei said with a smile. "It's my mother's recipe."

"Well, it's delicious," Bill said.

"What shall I pick up for your family's visit?" Sergei asked.

"Since you mentioned it, I've given it a little bit of thought. My brother is quite well-travelled – far more than I. He's been all over Eastern and Western Europe, and Russia. He might enjoy some traditional recipes from those areas. I think his family might enjoy that too. And you could show off your 5-star cooking," Bill said.

"Very good. That sounds like a challenge," Sergei said.

"Glad you're up to it, Sergei. "Of course, Roy is coming home to Texas and we'll have to treat him to good old-fashioned Texas Barbeque. Right, son?"

Mattlock looked up from his food and said, "Right!" Bill and Sergei smiled at Mattlock when they saw the ring of beet coloring around his mouth from the borscht.

"I'll go pick up the items tomorrow," Sergei said.

"Great. Mattlock, Bo, Lamar, and I are going to go pick out a tree from the property tomorrow morning while you're all of the groceries. Bo told me there are some suitable pine trees in the forest behind the house. I think that's where we'll start looking," Bill said.

"What will you and your cousin Will be doing when he arrives, Mattlock?" Sergei asked.

"Ride horses," Mattlock immediately replied.

"I'm sure there will be plenty of toys to play with when Santa Claus comes, won't there?" Bill asked Mattlock.

"If I've been good," Mattlock qualified.

"As far as I know, you've been a good little boy. I wouldn't worry," Bill reassured.

"Mattlock, do you know what we call Santa Claus in Russia?" Sergei asked.

Mattlock shook his head.

"We call him Ded Moroz," Sergei replied.

"Dead?!" Mattlock exclaimed.

"Not that kind of 'dead,' little Mattlock. Ded Moroz is a name that means "Father Frost" in English," Sergei explained.

"Oh."

"Your Santa Claus delivers your presents in secret while our Ded Moroz delivers them directly to the children," Sergei said.

"Really?" Mattlock was suddenly riveted.

"Yes. He also travels with his granddaughter, a snow maiden, or Snegurochka," Sergei said.

"Santa Claus has Mrs. Claus," Mattlock observed. "So, there is more than one Santa Claus?" he asked.

Bill said, trying to preserve the Santa Claus myth, "There are many saints doing the good work of giving gifts to children. They are just called different names depending on where they live."

"Oh," Mattlock simply said, seeming to swallow the answer easily. "Why does Santa give presents in secret?"

"That's just the way he likes to do things," Bill said.

Mattlock clenched his lips together and looked at his father sideways, not buying such a simple explanation. "Really?"

"He's got a lot of houses to get to. If he was seen, then he'd have to stop and talk to everybody and that would put him behind in his work," Bill explained further.

Sergei smiled at Bill. "Yes, you're right about that. Santa has a bigger territory to cover than Ded Moroz," Sergei said.

"Hmmm," Mattlock said in an incredulous tone.

"Well, at any rate…" Bill awkwardly continued. "Christmas is around the corner and we have to get prepared." Changing the subject, he turned to Sergei and said, "What do you think you'll make for Christmas dinner?"

"I was thinking a traditional Christmas ham with several side dishes," Sergei quickly replied.

"My mouth is already watering," Bill said.

The three of them conversed while they finished eating. Mattlock and Bill helped Sergei clean up. Mattlock helped Bill stack the dirty plates and silverware and Bill took them to the counter where Sergei washed everything, leaving the tableware to drip dry in a dish drainer. Sergei retired to his quarters on the south side of the mansion. His quarters were essentially a three-room apartment with a bedroom, seating area, and its own bathroom. Mattlock and Bill spent some time with each other in the living room until Bill readied Mattlock for bed.

Bill tucked Mattlock into bed and read to him _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_ by C.S. Lewis. Mattlock lay in bed wide-eyed as Bill read the story to him. He read to him for about fifteen minutes and put the book down on the side table. It was their third night reading the book.

"That witch is scary," Mattlock said.

"Are you going to be able to sleep?" Bill asked.

He closed his lips tight, and puffed out his chest. "Yes!" he said emphatically. "I hope Aslan beats her."

"I have a feeling he will," Bill said. "Mattlock, a lot of stories will tell you that the good guys always win, but sometimes the bad guys win."

"They do?!" Mattlock said with a worried expression on his face.

"Yes. Sometimes. But it's important to know that they always lose in the end. There's a saying….that someone may win the battle but lose the war. That's how it usually goes for bad guys. They lose the war. Understand?"

"I guess so, Daddy," Mattlock replied. "Does that mean the Witch will win first and lose later?"

"Possibly. I just wanted to let you know that life's more complicated than what is often found in books and television," Bill replied.

"Okay, Daddy," Mattlock said with a yawn.

"But don't worry, I think the Witch will lose," Bill said. He kissed Mattlock on the forehead and patted his head, turned off the light and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Bill sat in the living room drinking the morning coffee Sergei had made for him. He was wearing a camel-colored flannel work shirt and dark blue denim pants and work boots – a major departure from his usual work attire. Mattlock wandered sleepily down the stairs rubbing his eyes.

"I thought you were going to get up early, son," Bill said with a smile.

"I wanted to," Mattlock said.

"You must have been worn out from all your adventures yesterday. Did you get enough sleep?" Bill asked.

Still rubbing his eyes and yawning, Mattlock said, "Uh-huh." He climbed onto the couch and sat next to Bill who put his arm around him.

"I wouldn't get too comfortable. Bo and Lamar will be here soon. You best get dressed and have something to eat. Breakfast is in the kitchen," Bill said.

"Okay, Daddy," Mattlock said through another yawn. He hopped off the couch and went into the kitchen. Sergei had prepared a breakfast casserole.

"Milk or juice, Mattlock?" Sergei asked.

"Juice," he said, and climbed into his booster seat to eat. Sergei put a plate of food and his juice in front of him. A few minutes later, Bo and Lamar came through the front door. Bo was wearing a cotton work shirt with a faded denim jacket and pants, and a leather cowboy hat. Lamar wore a straw cowboy hat with a red and black checked flannel shirt and denim overalls.

"Mr. Houston….We're ready when you are," Bo said.

"Have you had your breakfast yet?" Bill said.

"Well, now that you mention it, I haven't. You, Lamar?" Bo asked.

"I wouldn't call it 'breakfast.' Beulah's an awful cook," Lamar replied.

Bo laughed. "Yer right about that. I wouldn't even call it 'food.'"

"Feel free to get some food in the kitchen," Bill said.

"Thank you, kindly. I think I will," Bo said. Lamar nodded and they both went into the kitchen. "Mattlock, I thought you were going to help us find and chop down a tree this mornin'," Bo said.

"I am," Mattlock said.

"Well, why are you in your jammies, then?" Bo asked.

"I just got up," Mattlock said. The two men made their own plates of food and poured their own coffee and sat at the table with Mattlock.

"How long have we been up, Lamar?" Bo asked.

"Don't know. Don't wear a watch," Lamar said. "I know I've been up since it was dark." Mattlock chewed his breakfast, unimpressed.

"Me too. Must be nice to sleep in," Bo said, winking at Lamar.

"I wouldn't know anythin' about that," Lamar said.

"I know that when I was Mattlock's age, we had to get up in the dark, 'cause we was so poor, we couldn't afford the daylight," Bo said. Lamar laughed.

"You're teasin' me," Mattlock said.

"We are?" Bo asked with a mouthful of food.

Mattlock furrowed his brow, "Yes."

"Lamar, were you teasin' this little cowboy?" Bo asked.

"No, sir," Lamar said, shaking his head vigorously.

Mattlock harrumphed to himself and jumped off of his booster seat and walked back into the living room.

"What did we say?" Bo asked. The two men laughed and worked on finishing their breakfasts.

Mattlock walked through the living room. "I'm gonna get ready now, Daddy," he said.

"Okay, son," Bill said, sipping his coffee and reading his morning paper.

Mattlock ran up the stairs and into his bedroom. A few minutes later, he descended the stairs in some denim pants and a solid red flannel shirt and Bo and Lamar were sitting with Bill talking about the plans for the day.

"Ready to go?" Bill asked.

"Yep," Mattlock said with his hands in his pockets.

Lamar and Bo stood up. Bill said, "Let's go, then."

They all walked outside where a horse was hitched up to a wagon that contained rope, work gloves, and a chainsaw. The wagon was used for special project like this one, and for the occasional autumn hayride hosted by Bill on his property. Just as they walked outside, Cattle Annie Hickok pulled up in her latest model Cadillac convertible, and pushed herself up and sat on the back of the driver's seat.

"What are you boys doin' today?" she asked, wearing her latest Dale Evans-inspired getup.

"We're going to cut down a tree for our Christmas tree," Bill said.

"I don't know where you're going to find a suitable evergreen 'round here," Annie said.

"There's some pine trees in the forest behind the house," Bo said.

"Pine trees? Those are terrible trees for Christmas," she said.

"Land sakes, Bill. I think you're the only wealthy man I know that cuts down his own tree at Christmas. You can just buy one and get a spruce or somethin' better," she said.

"Thanks for the advice, Cattle Annie, but it's more fun this way – an activity we can do together," Bill defended.

"True, I guess," Annie said.

"This keeps Mattlock grounded as well. He'll learn that some things are better when they aren't bought," Bill said.

"Well, that's down right respectable," Annie said.

"I'm grounded, Daddy?" Mattlock asked with a frown.

"Not that kind of grounded, son," Bill replied.

Cattle Annie turned her attention to Mattlock. "Well, Mattlock, you have a good time today. You'll have to tell me about it the next time I see you."

"I will, Cattle Annie," Mattlock said.

She pointed her fingers like guns and made a clicking sound with her mouth, "See you soon, little one." She continued, "I guess I'll let you men get going."

"My brother and his family are coming in on Wednesday, Cattle Annie. They'll be staying for a week. Would you like to join us all for drinks one evening?" Bill asked.

"I'd be honored, Bill. Thanks for the invite," Annie said.

"I'll give you a ring or drop by," Bill said.

"Alright. You boys have a great time today, choppin' yourselves a tree," she replied.

Bill squeezed the top of Mattlock's shoulder. "Thanks. We will," Bill replied.

Cattle Annie sunk down into her seat again and pulled off, waving backward over her shoulder.

"I wanna ride up front!" Mattlock said.

"Well, I figgered you'd want to ride shotgun, Mattlock," Bo said, and lifted him onto the wagon bench. Mattlock sat against the wood back of the bench and sat straight up with his hands on his knees. Lamar and Bill crawled in the back of the wagon and Bo jumped up to drive the horse. He drove it around the mansion to the forest on the back side of the house. It was a fairly dense forest but the leaves had all fallen so there was some slight visibility – not as thick as it was in spring or summer. There was a well-worn path that snaked back into the woods about half a mile. Then, it gradually got more overgrown until the path ended altogether about a quarter of a mile after that.

Bo stopped the wagon almost near the edge of the Houston property. The men and Mattlock jumped out of the wagon. Bo wrapped the rope over his head across his chest, and put on his work gloves and handed gloves to the other two men. Lamar took the chainsaw and all of them began walking southwest through the flat landscape until they reached a small grove of Afghan pine trees hidden away in the mostly deciduous forest.

"How do you know which one to pick?" Mattlock asked anyone who'd answer.

"You wanna make sure that the tree is healthy," Bo said.

"Yeah. No bugs or bag worms or other critters," Lamar said.

"Then, you want to make sure the tree is a good, even, shape," Bill said.

"Make sure the limbs all face up and make good ornament holders," Lamar added.

"And that there aren't any holes or gaps in the tree," Bill said.

Mattlock listened intently to all the men explain the finer points of choosing a quality Christmas tree and their remembrances of that special tree they all recalled from their life histories. Then Bo and Lamar went their separate ways to evaluate the pines and Bill took Mattlock to look at the others. A few minutes later, Bill located one.

"What do you think of this one, Mattlock?" Bill asked.

Mattlock rubbed his chin pensively and looked the tree up and down and walked around it. He shook his head, "Let's look at the others, Daddy," he said.

"You don't like it?" Bill asked.

"No," Mattlock said.

"Okay," Bill said with a smile and the two walked through the trees looking for a better one. Bo and Lamar picked trees too and they were either too big or had gaps in the branches, or some other issue. Finally, Mattlock saw one that seemed perfect to him.

"How about this one?" He asked.

Bo evaluated the tree closely and said, "Well, Mattlock, I do believe you've picked a dern near perfect one."

"Sure has," Lamar said.

"What do you think, Daddy?" Mattlock asked with both hands on his hips.

"I think Bo and Lamar are right. I think this is the one," Bill said. "Good job, Mattlock."

"Alright, then. Let's get to cuttin'," Bo said as he slipped on his work gloves. He began by trimming some of the bottom limbs clear of the trunk with the chainsaw. Lamar removed the limbs and tree debris after Bo finished. The tree was about ten feet tall – a perfect fit for the high ceilings at the Houston mansion. Lamar tied the rope around the trunk as high as he could reach and pulled back on it.

"Okay, Mattlock. You better back up now with your Daddy," Bo said.

"C'mon Mattlock," Bill said with his hand on Mattlock's back and moved him away from the tree.

Bo took the chainsaw and notched the bottom of the tree trunk and Lamar pulled back gently on the rope – standing clear from the eminent fall of the tree. Bo cut a little deeper and Lamar pulled a little harder until the tree slowly descended to the ground. Once there, Bo finished cutting the trunk.

Then, Bo and Lamar wrapped the rope tautly around the tree so the branches would be protected and it would be easier to carry. Then the three grown man carried the tree on their shoulders while Mattlock walked through the dry leaves and pine needles nearby. They made it back to the wagon and placed the tree in it. Mattlock got in the back of the wagon with Bill on the way back, while Lamar rode up front with Bo.

When they arrived back at the mansion, Mattlock and Bill went inside. Sergei had put out the tree stand, skirt, and decorations.

"Sergei?" Bill called.

Sergei came out of the kitchen, "Yes, Bill," he said.

"Thanks for getting all the Christmas decorations out. Were you able to get everything you needed at the store?" Bill asked.

"Oh, yes. Plenty," Sergei confirmed.

"Great. The boys are outside unloading the tree and I'll have them set it up and we'll decorate it together," Bill replied.

"Good. I'm looking forward to it," Sergei said.

Just then, Bo and Lamar carried the tree in through the front door. They laid the tree on the ground and Bill handed Bo the stand, and he put it on the bottom of the trunk and twisted the screws into place.

"Where do you want the tree?" Bo asked.

Bill gestured the large front window, and said, "Right in front of that window."

Bo and Lamar carried it over and lifted it into place in front of the window and then they worked together to make minor adjustments to the stand.

"How's that?" Bo asked.

"What do you think, Mattlock?" Bill asked, looking at Mattlock.

He stood there for a second or two, put his hands on his hips and made the "OK" sign with his fingers and said, "Looks good," and smiled.

Bo and Lamar took their gloves off and stuffed them in their back pockets. "Okay. Well, Lamar and I are going to take the horse and wagon back to the barn, then," Bo said.

"You have a fun time decoratin', Mattlock," Lamar said as he patted him on the head.

"Thanks, boys," Bill said.

"You're welcome, Mr. Houston," Lamar said as he tipped his hat.

"I hope you'll be able to join us one night while the family is here," Bill said.

"Well, I expect I might could do that. You, Lamar?" Bo asked.

"Depends on what the wife has planned," Lamar said.

"I hear ya loud and clear, Lamar. I wouldn't want to cross her myself," Bo said, smiling at Bill.

"Have a good day, boys," Bill said.

"Thank ya kindly," Bo said, tipping his hat, and both of the ranch hands left to return the horse and wagon, and work on some daily chores.

Sergei made Bill and Mattlock lunch, which they ate, and afterward, they went to work decorating the tree. There were mostly commercially made ornaments and a few handmade ornaments from Bill and Rebecca's individual family histories, as well as some handmade ornaments Rebecca had made herself. There was a box full of multi-colored Christmas lights that Bill set Mattlock to detangling. Mattlock sat on the floor working on his daunting project while Bill kneeled over an ornament box, fishing ornaments out. Every few moments, he would hold up an ornament, inspect it, and smile to himself. Eventually, he came to one and stood up and sat down on the couch with the ornament in his hand, looking wistfully at it. Mattlock was having no luck with the lights and had gotten them more tangled then when he had begun. He looked up at Bill.

"Daddy, I can't fix the lights," he said.

"Don't worry about it. Come up here and sit next to me for a minute," Bill said. Mattlock shook his feet loose from the tangled mess and climbed up on the couch next to Bill.

Bill was holding a homemade ornament with a black and white picture of him and Rebecca who was holding Mattlock as small child. They were wearing their Sunday best outdoors. The photo was carefully placed in a small gold frame and there was a hook affixed to the back of it.

"That's Momma," Mattlock said, having only pictures to go by, and no memory of his mother.

"Yes it is," Bill said. "It was a beautiful day that day. You were almost two years old. Your momma had already gotten sick, but was feeling very good that day, and Cattle Annie snapped the photo."

"Did Momma love me?" Mattlock asked.

"That's a strange question. Can't you tell by the photo that she did? She's smiling ear to ear and holding on for dear life," Bill said showing the picture to Mattlock.

"I wish I remembered her," Mattlock said.

"Me too. She was a good person and a lot of fun," Bill said. Mattlock took the ornament and jumped off the couch and walked over to the tree.

"Let's put it right here, so it's the first one people see," Mattlock said with pride.

"That's a great idea, son," Bill affirmed.

After a few hours of detangling the lights and decorating the tree, the Houston men did what they usually did on a Saturday. Bill read a lot, stopping occasionally to play with Mattlock. Mattlock spent his day playing inside and out and managed to get in another horse ride with Bo and Lamar. They had dinner with Sergei and watched a little television, and finally, Bill tucked Mattlock into bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Late on Wednesday afternoon, a red 1953 Buick Skylark pulled up the Houston driveway. A tall man with salt and pepper gray hair stepped out of the car at the same time as his wife, a blonde woman in her late 30s. She pulled the seat forward and a small boy with brown hair, jeans, and a button-down, short sleeved shirt jumped out of the back seat of the car. The three walked up the tiered steps to the front door of the Houston mansion and the woman rang the doorbell. After pressing the button a second time, Bill came to the door and opened it.

"Roy!" Bill exclaimed and hugged his brother.

Returning the hug to his much shorter and younger brother, Roy said, "It's been a long time."

"Yes it has," Bill replied with tears in his eyes.

Roy backed up and put his hand on his wife's arm. "Bill, this is my wife Flo…." He paused and looked behind her where Will was hiding behind Flo's leg. "And this is my son, Will."

Bill shook Flo's hand and then stooped low and shook Will's hand. "Nice to meet you, son." His gesture broke the ice for Will, and he came out from behind his mother.

Roy took his brother's hand again and patted the top of it. "I'm sorry I couldn't be here when Rebecca passed," he said.

"I understand. You were abroad," Bill replied.

"Where's Mattlock? Will's been looking forward to meeting him," Flo said.

"He's been champing at the bit, too," Bill replied. "C'mon inside." They all walked into the house and Bill called, "Mattlock, your cousin's here!"

Mattlock emerged at the top of the stairs and ran down into the living room. He ran right up to Will and thrust his hand at him gregariously, causing Will to flinch. "I'm Mattlock!" he exclaimed. Will shook his hand and then put his hands in his pockets. Mattlock did the same and the two sized each other up. "Wanna come up to my room and play with my toys?"

"Sure!" Will exclaimed.

"Daddy, can we?" Mattlock asked.

"For a little bit. Dinner should be ready soon," Bill replied.

"Okay, Daddy," Mattlock said, and he grabbed Will's hand and took him up the stairs to his bedroom.

Bill gestured to the living room furniture. "Please, sit down. Would you like something to drink?"

"Have any red wines?" Roy asked as he sat down.

"I have a Grenache," Bill replied.

"Perfect," Roy said.

"Flo?" asked Bill.

"I'll have the same," she replied.

Bill poured their drinks and poured himself a Bourbon at the bar. He gave Roy and Flo their drinks and sat down. "So tell me…what have you been up to?" he asked Roy.

"Mainly teaching at the university. It's nice to have a holiday break and not have to travel abroad for a change," Roy said.

"Poor thing – _having _to travel abroad," Flo joked.

"It's different when it's for work, dear," Roy explained.

"Who are you kidding, Roy. You love your work," she said.

"True, true," Roy said. "Flo would like to travel more. It's her lifelong dream to go to Tahiti, but between teaching at the university and occasional work with The Company, we don't find the time to travel for purely pleasure."

"You're still not going to tell me what The Company is?" Bill asked.

"Afraid not, or I'd have to kill you," Roy said with a wink. Flo slapped him on the upper arm.

"C'mon. You're among family here," Bill said.

"Well, of course, you know that I've been in the military and I've worked for the government in other capacities. The Company is a sort of sub-contractor to the federal government, but that's as much as I could tell you without jeopardizing my clearance level," Roy said.

"It surely isn't called 'The Company?' Bill asked.

"Of course not. That's a terrible name for a company, and not very creative," Roy said. Flo laughed.

"I guess I'm not going to get much out of you, so Flo – why Tahiti?" Bill asked.

"I first learned about Tahiti when I was in art school – when we studied Gauguin and his time there. While Roy and I lived in the Arlington/D.C. area a few years ago, I saw a travelling exhibit of his work and that sealed my desire to visit Tahiti," Flo replied.

"Such a romantic, my wife," he said, putting his arm around her. "I prefer Bouguereau myself. Who's your favorite artist, Bill?"

"Hmmm. I guess I'd say it's between Frederic Remington and Thomas Hart Benton," Bill said.

"American artists? Interesting. Well, they do seem to finally be coming into their own these days. Benton's got a great visual rhythm," Roy replied.

"How did you two meet?" Bill asked.

"Actually, it was at a museum," Roy said. "In 1946 – at the National Gallery of Art in D.C. I saw this beautiful young woman looking intently at Albert Ryder's _Siegfried and the Rhine Maidens. _It was a new acquisition, which is why she was there. I walked up and looked at it with her. After a few moments of silence, I said that I had seen Wagner's _Götterdämmerung _ performed in Berlin and the painting had captured the scene's emotion."

"I expressed my disappointment in Ryder's technical abilities with paint – especially in terms of his glazes," Flo said.

"Ever the art critic," Roy said with a smile.

"I thought he was making a pass at me, and I was there to look at art," Flo said to Bill.

"I was, but I _did_ want to hear your expertise," Roy replied. "We talked about the painting some more and she asked about the opera I'd seen in Berlin and I asked her if she liked opera. She said she did. And we had our first date at the opera shortly after that."

"In the end, it was the recluse Albert Ryder who brought us together," Flo said.

"I'd never met a woman like her in all of my travels," Roy said.

She looked at Roy askance. "Please dear. I've heard you say that, but it can't be true."

"I mean it. I've met a lot of women in my travels, true, and some were intriguing and even dangerous, and worked in a variety of fields, even my own and for The Company, but it was my home country that brought me Flo. Just goes to show you that home isn't a place on the map," Roy said.

"Dear, you're making me blush," Flo said.

Roy put his arm around her and said, "I've never met a woman as cultured, intelligent, caring, giving, and who's willing to challenge me and be my sounding board, and still be my best friend and not just a wife or lover. I trust her implicitly and am the luckiest man in the world."

Flo simply said, "Roy, that's enough."

He jokingly said to Bill, "See?" and smiled.

"You are very fortunate," Bill said.

"Would you like to remarry, Bill?" Roy asked.

"I don't know. I don't have the time or occasion to meet women these days. I'm pretty absorbed in business. Mattlock also keeps me busy. Whether or not I remarry, I'd like my son to meet and marry a woman like Flo," Bill said.

"Can't go wrong," Roy said.

"Alright, boys. I mean it. That's enough. I'm getting embarrassed," Flo said.

Roy joked, "I forgot to mention humble." Flo elbowed him and the two men laughed.

Up in Mattlock's room, he had been giving Will the grand tour of his toy collection, which was vast. Most of his collection consisted of guns and cars, some of which were model cars that he and Bill had built together and were only meant for display on the shelf unit on his bedroom wall.

"You have a lot of toys," Will said.

"I guess," Mattlock said, looking around the room.

"I don't have this many at my house," Will replied.

"They're just toys. I give them away all the time. Do you want some to take home when you leave?" Mattlock asked.

"Really?" Will replied. "I don't know."

"I mean it. You can have whatever you want," Mattlock said.

"I'll think about it," Will replied.

"What do you do for fun at your house?" Mattlock asked.

"I play with friends in my neighborhood, play war, explore…." Will said.

"I don't have any friends in my neighborhood; though, a new family moved in down the street. I don't know if they have kids my age, yet." Mattlock replied.

"So what do you do while you're at home?" Will asked.

"I play with these," he said, gesturing to the toys. "I play in my tree house and go riding horses with Bo and Lamar. I sometimes help them with chores too. Most of my friends are at school. Charlie, Steven, and C.J. I met all of them at C.J.'s birthday party. My daddy knows her daddy and momma."

Will was fixated. "You ride horses?"

"Well, yes. We're on a ranch," Mattlock said with a smile.

"Wow," Will said. "I've never ridden a horse."

"I bet Bo and Lamar will take us if I ask them," Mattlock said.

"That would be great!" Will replied exuberantly.

Sergei entered the living room from the kitchen. "Dinner is served," he said.

"Great," Bill said. "Roy, Flo, this is Sergei, our family chef."

Roy and Flo stood up with their glasses in hand. "Nice to meet you, Sergei," Roy said. He continued in Russian, "Ty russkiy , Sergey ?"

"Da," Sergei said.

"Velikiy. My dolzhny govorit' na russkom vmeste," Roy replied.

"Da," Sergei said with a smile.

"Mattlock!" Bill yelled. He waited a few moments after no response, and yelled Mattlock's name again. The two boys showed up at the top of the stairs.

"Yes, Daddy?" Mattlock said.

"Dinner time, son," Bill replied. Mattlock and Will walked downstairs while the adults made their way into the kitchen and sat down. When Mattlock and Will entered the kitchen, Bill was placing a large book and a phone book on one of the chairs.

"I should have picked up another booster seat for Will. This will do," Bill said.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Flo said.

The boys sat next to each other in their chairs. Bill took one end of the table and Flo and Roy sat opposite the boys.

"What are we having tonight, Sergei?"

He started ladling some stew into the bowls on the table. "First, we have Cozido Portuguesa. Then there's Bacalhãu á Gomes de Sá , and finally, for dessert, there will be a choice between Pasteis de Nata and Pão de-Ló," Sergei said.

"How wonderful," Roy said. "I haven't had Portuguese food since I was in Lisbon."

"I hope you like it," Sergei said.

"It smells delicious," Flo said.

"With food like this, I could get fat around here," Roy said.

"No you wouldn't. I'd put you to work on the ranch," Bill said.

"Definitely worth working for," Roy said.

"_Sergei, when did you come from Russia to America?"_ Roy asked in Russian. Mattlock and Will paid focused attention on the two men.

"_My family fled Russia in 1937 when Stalin was persecuting the Russian Orthodox Church. We travelled through the Ukraine, Romania, over to France, and finally to London where we settled in 1938," _Sergei replied in his native language.

"_You made it in the nick of time," _Roy replied.

"_Yes. It was not long after that the Nazis made a mess of Europe and part of the USSR,"_ Sergei affirmed.

"_You must have picked up your cooking skills along the way,"_ Roy said.

"Da," Sergei said.

"_When did you make it to America?" _Roy asked.

"_Our family survived the Nazi bombings of London in 1941 and at the end of the War, I took a Trans-Atlantic ship to the States. I was 23," _Sergei replied in Russian. _"I started working odd cooking jobs from the east to the midwest and finally to Texas. I met your brother at the dedication of the Cloverleaf Hotel and he hired me to be his personal chef. He's sponsoring me for citizenship."_

"That's great, Bill. Sergei was just telling me that you are sponsoring him for citizenship," Roy said.

"Yes. That's true," Bill said.

"Well, Sergei, I suppose we can speak Russian together later. We should probably speak English now to be a part of this gathering. What do you think?"

"Yes, Mr. Houston," Sergei said.

"Call me Roy," he said.

Sergei nodded.

"What do you boys do for female company around here?" Flo asked.

"Well, there's my neighbor and friend, Annie Hickok. We call her Cattle Annie," Bill said. "She's a character. You'll get to meet her while you're here. There's probably no way of avoiding it."

"I'm intrigued," Flo said.

"I think you'll like her," Bill said. "Other than that, there's not that much feminine influence around here except for a few household staff." Bill thought for a bit. "There might be another female presence around here soon. Mattlock's made himself a friend recently. Haven't you Mattlock?"

"Yep! C.J.'s her name!" he said.

"And how did you meet her?" Bill asked, already knowing the answer.

"At her birthday party. And I go to school with her," Mattlock replied, looking at Flo and Roy.

"We're going to have her come over for a visit soon, aren't we?" Bill asked Mattlock.

"Yep!" he said.

"What do you like about her, Mattlock?" Roy asked.

Mattlock looked pensive for a few moments while chewing his food and then swallowing. "She's smart, funny, and punches like a boy!"

"Well, now that _is _something," Roy replied. Flo smiled.

"Did she punch you?" Will asked, wide-eyed.

"Yep. Decked me good," Mattlock said.

"I'd be afraid of her," Will said.

"Not me. I bet she'll like to ride horses and explore and everything," Mattlock said.

"Don't get your hopes up, son. There's no telling what she might enjoy doing," Bill said. Turning to Roy and Flo, he said, "Although, she didn't strike me as one who liked to stay at home and play with dolls."

"What do her parents do?" Flo asked.

"Her father is a lawyer and her mother is a medical doctor," Bill said.

"Ahhh…Professional family," Flo replied. "What does C.J. stand for, Mattlock?"

"Cady something, but Julia calls her C.J., so we all call her C.J.," Mattlock replied.

"Julia is C.J.'s precocious neighbor and best friend," Bill clarified.

"Oh…." Roy said.

"Is she coming over while I'm here?" Will asked with a worried look on his face.

"No. Probably later," Mattlock said.

Will let out a sigh and looked relieved.

Everyone ate their meals and desserts and went to the living room where they all watched _Brave Eagle_ with Mattlock and Will before they had to go to bed. Bill had purchased a rollaway bed for the occasion and placed it in Mattlock's room. Bill tucked them in and said goodnight to the both of them and Roy and Flo came in afterward and did the same. Then, the adults retired to the living room with some wine and conversation.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, the boys got up bright and early and went downstairs to the living room with a couple of toy cars each. Bill was already drinking his morning coffee as the consummate early riser that he'd always been. The boys got down on all fours in their pajamas and played with their cars on the floor.

"What are your plans today, boys?" Bill asked.

"I thought we'd play in the tree house," Mattlock said.

"Maybe Will would like to see the property. Would you, Will?" Bill asked.

"Sure," Will replied.

"I bet Bo and Lamar would take you both around on horses," Bill said.

Will sat up, suddenly very interested. "That would be fun!" he exclaimed.

"I figured that, Daddy," Mattlock said.

"Oh, you did?" Bill asked with a smile.

"Yep," Mattlock replied as he pushed his toy car on the floor.

"Well, after your aunt and uncle come down, I'll go see if I can find the boys and see if they can take you two out today," Bill said after sipping his coffee.

"Alright, Daddy," Mattlock replied.

The boys played for a few more minutes while Bill drank his coffee and read the daily paper. Roy and Flo came downstairs, dressed for the day.

"Good morning, Brother," Roy said.

"Good morning. Breakfast is in the kitchen. Help yourselves," Bill replied.

"Don't mind if I do," Roy said rubbing his stomach. He and Flo went into the kitchen.

Bill got up and followed them. While they were serving themselves some breakfast, Bill asked, "What would you both like to do today?"

"Flo and I were just talking about that in the bedroom," Roy said.

"What did you have in mind?" Bill asks.

"Well, I'd like to catch up some more with you – maybe see the offices of Houston Oil," Roy said.

"I was wondering if you'd mind if I went around your property doing nature studies in my sketchbook," Flo said.

"Not at all. There's some great scenery," Bill said. "I suppose I could take you up to Houston Oil, Roy, but it's not that exciting."

"Still, I'd like to see what my little brother does," Roy said.

"If you say so," Bill said. "The boys want to go riding with Bo and Lamar today. I thought I'd try to find them and see what time is good for them today, if you don't mind watching the boys for a few minutes."

"Not a problem," Roy said.

"Flo, would you like to explore with them and draw on site? Or would you rather explore on your own?" Bill asked.

"I'm sure the boys would like their special time together and I'm fine with going it alone," she said.

"Alright. I'll go look for Bo and Lamar and I'll be right back," Bill said. He left the kitchen and walked into the living room. "Boys, Flo and Roy are here if you need anything. I'm going to go find Bo and Lamar."

"Okay, Daddy," Mattlock said.

Bill left the house and Roy and Flo entered the living room and sat down on the couch with their coffee and plates of food. The boys continued to play on the floor.

"So, Mattlock, what is it that you like to do around here?" Roy asked.

"I like to ride horses the best," Mattlock said.

"I heard you were going to do that today," Roy said.

"Mattlock has _A LOT_ of toys, Dad," Will said.

"Son…." Flo said in a cautioning tone.

"Will can have any toys of mine that he wants," Mattlock said.

"Well, that's very generous, Mattlock," Roy replied. "But, you don't have to do that."

"I don't mind," Mattlock said.

"What else, besides riding horses, do you like to do?" Roy asked.

"I play in my tree house, play with my toys, watch television," Mattlock said.

"What kinds of shows do you like to watch?" Roy asked.

"Cowboy and Indian shows. Police shows," Mattlock replied, moving his toy car on the floor in front of him.

"Most of his friends are at school," Will said to Roy.

"Oh?" Roy replied.

"We just had a family move in down the street, so I may have a new friend," Mattlock said.

"I like your confidence, Mattlock," Roy said.

"Thanks," Mattlock replied. "Wanna go out and play in my tree house, Will?"

"Yes!" Will said.

"Well… you boys are still both in your pajamas. Why don't you go upstairs and get dressed for the day before you do that," Roy said.

"Okay, Uncle Roy," Mattlock said. The two boys left their cars on the floor and went upstairs to change clothes.

Bill came back in the house. "That didn't take long," Roy said.

"They were at the end of the drive. They're going to take the boys riding this afternoon. They have some chores first."

"I just sent the boys upstairs to change out of their pajamas," Roy said. They're going to go play in Mattlock's tree house."

"Oh, good. I'll take you around the property in the car while they do that," Bill said. "In the afternoon, Flo can wander off and draw and you and I can go downtown."

"Sounds great," Roy said. The three adults chatted for a while in the living room until Will and Mattlock came back downstairs, dressed for the day. He and Will were also wearing cowboy hats and a set of guns and holsters each.

"Daddy, we're going out to the tree house," Mattlock declared.

"Okay, son. Have fun. I'm going to take your aunt and uncle on a tour of the property. If you need anything, Bo and Lamar aren't far away."

"Okay, Daddy," Mattlock said as he grabbed Will by the hand and ran outside. They ran around the house to the south side of the property where a large oak tree with a tree house stood. Several foot-long two by fours were nailed to the trunk in a ladder formation leading up to the tree house. It was partially supported by the oak itself and a couple of rough-hewn logs that acted as pillars for the tree house's front porch. The porch had a railing with a combination of natural tree limbs and milled lumber for slats. The front of the tree house had two windows to the left of the door. The other walls had two windows each and the roof was a low pitched, gabled roof sloping toward the front porch which it also covered.

Mattlock let Will climb up the ladder first and he followed closely. Once they were both on the porch, they surveyed the property together.

"Did your Dad build this?" Will asked.

"Nope. Bo and Lamar did," Mattlock said.

"Neat!" Will replied.

"Wanna go inside?" Mattlock asked.

"Sure!" Will said. Mattlock opened the door and walked in, and Will joined him. "Wow!" Will exclaimed, taking it all in.

The interior had an open rafter ceiling that made it seem bigger on the inside than the outside. In the center of the tree house was a kid-sized wooden table with four chairs placed on a Zapotec rug. On one side of the single room, was a twin mattress on the floor and on the opposite was a large cedar chest with a hinged lid. A variety of western movie posters were thumbtacked to the walls: _Apache_, starring Burt Lancaster; _The Command_, starring Guy Madison; _ The Outcast_, starring John Derek;_ They Rode West, _starring Robert Francis;and _Vera Cruz_, starring Gary Cooper. Bill and Sergei had picked out the posters together since both were fans of Westerns and Bill had convinced the theater owner to sell him a bunch that year. Bill and Mattlock pinned them to his tree house walls together.

"Have you seen all these movies?" Will asked.

"Nope. My Daddy has. He got them for me," Mattlock said. "What do you think?" Mattlock asked gesturing with his arms spread.

"I think this tree house is amazing!" Will said.

"Thanks," Mattlock said, pushing his cowboy hat back on his head and then resting his hands on his gun grips. "Let's form a secret club!"

"Okay!" Will exclaimed.

"Do you want to be good guys or bad guys?" Mattlock asked.

"Bad guys are more fun," Will said.

"Let's come up with some names," Mattlock suggested. The two exchanged ideas for some time, making slight alterations in names and arrangements frequently. At the end of the hearty exchange, Mattlock declared, "Okay. That settles it. You're Ramblin' Red Curtis and I'm Greedy Guy Amarillo!"

"Okay!" Will exclaimed.

Mattlock walked over to the cedar chest and pulled out a deck of cards. "Let's pretend we're gambling in a saloon," he suggested.

Will nodded and they both sat down at the table and they played a few games of _Go Fish_ and acted out scenes in which they were interrupted by law enforcement and shot them down in the doorway of the 'saloon.' Of course, a few times, they each got 'shot' and fell to the floor pretending to writhe in pain, grabbing some part of their bodies that had been 'hit.' They also pretended to be held out in their fort, shooting out the windows in defense. They played like this for a few hours and Sergei called up from below the tree house. "Boys, I have your lunch," he said. He had bagged their lunches in brown paper sacks.

"Thanks Sergei," Mattlock said, and climbed down the ladder to get their lunches.

"Your aunt and uncle are eating lunch with your father inside. He thought you might want to eat out here," Sergei said.

"Yep!" Mattlock exclaimed and tipped his hat at Sergei.

Sergei smiled and handed him the sacks. "There are a couple of bottles of Coca-Cola in the sacks," he said, and Mattlock climbed up the ladder.

Before Mattlock went back inside the tree house, he waved at Sergei and yelled, "Thanks!"

After a while, the boys were eating their sandwiches and pretending to have robbed a restaurant in a small town. "What should we call our club?" Will asked.

"Well," Mattlock started, with his mouth full. "We're in Texas, so, I think Texas should be in the name."

"That's a good idea. That's where a lot of cowboy stories take place anyhow," Will observed.

"That's true," Mattlock said, briefly thinking to himself. "We _are _bad guys, so we should have a scary name."

"How 'bout 'Texas Bandits?'" Will suggested.

"Texas Killers?" Mattlock asked.

"Texas Terrors?" Will suggested.

"Texas Terrors…" Mattlock repeated. After a moment, he said, "I like it! Let's be the Texas Terrors!"

"Okay!" Will agreed.

The boys ate their lunch and played more pretend games until around 1:30, when Bo and Lamar approached the tree house. They tried to tip toe their way so as to go unnoticed. Mattlock heard movement and told Will to hush. They skulked over to one of the side windows and Mattlock started yelling "Bang, Bang, Bang!" Will followed Mattlock's lead and did the same, both aiming at Bo and Lamar on the ground. Bo fell backwards on the ground first and Lamar grabbed his chest and swooned dramatically until he fell into a heap on the ground.

"Oh no, Lamar! I've been hit!" Bo said, playing along.

"Me too! Done shot me in the heart! I'm not long for this world," Lamar said in a weakening voice.

The boys watched the scene from up above.

"I guess the horse ride today is cancelled, being that we'll be dead and all," Bo said.

The boys looked at each other with worried expressions. Lamar didn't answer Bo.

"Lamar?... Lamar?... Lamar?" Bo said in an escalating tone to raise the drama of the moment.

Lamar didn't answer.

"Oh no! You killed Lamar!" Bo said. Then Bo started gasping with his arms and legs spread like he was making a snow angel, and then he crossed his eyes and held his breath like he was dead.

The boys looked at each other, and Mattlock motioned to Will to indicate that they should leave and check on their victims. Mattlock climbed down the tree house ladder first and Will followed. Once on the ground, Mattlock nudged Lamar in the chest with his gun and Will stood nearby watching. When Lamar didn't react, he went over and nudged Bo in the chest as well. Bo let out a big breath and grabbed Mattlock's gun and said, "Gotcha!" He stood up. "Now see what happens when you let your guard down?" Bo instructed. "You shoulda had Will cover ya."

Mattlock kicked the dirt and looking at his feet, he said, "Yeah."

Lamar stood up and smiled. "Well, are you boys ready to go ridin'?"

Mattlock looked up and smiled wide with Will who was doing the same. "Yep!" Mattlock exclaimed.

"Let's get on over to the barn, then, and get the horses. We're burnin' daylight," Lamar said.

The men and boys got the horses. Mattlock rode in front of Bo on his horse and Will rode in front of Lamar on his. They spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the property on horseback listening to Bo and Lamar's tall tales and witty banter.

When it was time for dinner, they headed back to the barn and the boys ran up to the house and Bo and Lamar went their separate ways for the evening.

Mattlock and Will ran inside the front door. Flo, Roy, and Bill were sitting in the living room together. "Well, boys – we hardly saw you today. Did you have a good time?" Roy asked.

"Dad, the horse ride was so much fun!" Will said.

"I don't believe I've ridden a horse since before I went off to the second World War," Roy recalled.

"Well, you'll have to remedy that while you're here, Roy," Bill said.

"Might just do that," Roy replied.

"Boys, Sergei is getting dinner ready. We're having barbeque tonight. Go upstairs and get cleaned up," Bill said.

Beef ribs, mashed potatoes, green beans, and corn on the cob were the items on the menu for dinner. Dessert was apple pie a la mode. Everyone present gorged themselves on the home cooked food. Roy praised Sergei for his culinary skills once more (in Russian), and the boys played for a while in Mattlock's bedroom before bedtime, when Bill tucked them both in and came back to the living room to spend some more time with Roy and Flo.

After a few moments of chit-chat, a knock came at the door, and Bill got up to answer it. He opened the door.

"Well, hi Bill! Are your kin here?" said Cattle Annie.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Bill replied. "C'mon in." She barged into the room in her usually theatrical cowgirl getup. Roy and Flo stood up.

Cattle Annie walked right up to Roy. "I'm Annie Hickok, but you can call me Cattle Annie," she said, thrusting her hand at Roy for him to shake.

He took her hand and instead of shaking it, held it and then kissed the top of it. "My privilege to meet you, madam," he said.

"Woo, Bill, honey! Your brother's got a lot more charm than you. You been holdin' out on me, Bill?"

Bill looked at her askance. Annie put her hand out and shook Flo's hand. "That's Flo, Roy's wife," Bill said.

"I figured that, honey," Cattle Annie said, looking back at Bill. "Nice to meet you, Flo," she said.

"Would you care to join us for drinks?" Roy asked.

"Don't mind if I do. What are we having?" Annie asked.

"Anything you want. The bar's open for business," Bill said, walking over to the bar.

"You know, I think I'm in the mood for a beer tonight," Annie replied.

"Coming right up," Bill said, as Annie, Flo, and Roy sat down. He removed the bottle cap and walked the beer over to Annie and joined everyone.

"What have y'all been up to today?" Annie asked.

"I went with Bill to see where he works," Roy said.

"And what did you do, honey?" Annie asked, turning to Flo.

"I walked around with my sketchbook on the property and drew," Flo replied.

"Oh! An artiste!" Annie exclaimed. She turned to Bill, "No offense, Bill, but that's more interesting than where _you_ work."

"Yes. I know. I warned Roy, but he wanted to see it," Bill said.

"Tell me more about your art, honey," Annie said to Flo.

Flo regaled Annie with her educational background in art and her interest in abstracting landscapes. Roy shared his romantic adventure stories of war and espionage – the ones he _could_ share. Bill talked about recent investments and philanthropic projects. They all socialized until about midnight, when Cattle Annie called it an evening, and everyone went to bed.


	6. Chapter 6

The boys sat on the floor of Mattlock's bedroom early the next morning, playing with toy soldiers.

"What do you want to do today?" Mattlock asked Will.

"Don't know. What do you want to do?" Will replied.

"I have some soldier stuff besides these toys. We could play _War_ outside," Mattlock said.

"That would be fun," Will replied.

"Maybe we could ride horses again with Bo and Lamar," Mattlock said.

"I could do that every day!" Will exclaimed.

"I try to. Depends on how much homework I have. What's your school like?" Mattlock asked.

"Boring," Will replied.

"Do you have recess?" Mattlock asked.

"Yep. That's the best part. That, and lunch," Will replied. The two laughed.

"Got any friends at school?" Mattlock asked.

"Yeah. Jimmy and Peter. We play tag a lot, mainly, and climb on the jungle gym," Will replied.

"I do that with Charlie and Steven," Mattlock said.

"Our playground has an old fire truck and we pretend to be firefighters too," Will said.

"That's neat! We don't have that!" Mattlock exclaimed.

The boys played with the toy soldiers and talked some more in Mattlock's bedroom, while the adults were downstairs in the living room discussing the evening before.

"That Cattle Annie is a card," Roy said.

"That she is," Bill said.

"I like her," Flo said. She's a lot of fun. Very outgoing and a great sense of humor."

"She has us in stitches quite often," Bill replied.

"She likes to poke fun at you, Bill," Roy said with a smile.

"Yes. I don't mind. I know she'd do anything for us if we needed her. She thinks I'm a little too straight-laced and tries to rattle my cage," Bill said.

"Does she?" Roy replied.

"Rarely," Bill replied. "I just think she likes the challenge." A knock came on the front door and Bill went to go answer it. He opened the door and said, "Oh, hello Cattle Annie. We were just talking about you."

She moved passed Bill and headed into the living room. "I thought my ears were itchin', honey," she said.

"Would you like some coffee, Cattle Annie," Bill offered.

"That would be nice, Bill. I'll take it black as usual," she replied as she sat down in the living room with Flo and Roy. "So what's everyone's plans today?" she asked.

"We don't have any yet," Roy replied.

"Well, that being the case, I was wondering if you'd like to get out of this masculine environment for a few hours for some girl time," Cattle Annie said, looking at Flo.

"I'd love to," Flo said. "What would we do?"

"I thought you'd like to check out the new wing of the Museum of Fine Arts. They've got a great collection. Thought we'd have lunch too," Cattle Annie replied.

"That would be lovely," Flo replied. "I'd like that very much." She turned to Roy. "What are you going to do today, Roy?"

"What do you think, Bill?" Roy asked, turning to his brother.

"Well, you said you haven't been on a horse for a while…." Bill said. "We could go for a trail ride on the property."

"I think I'd enjoy that. You're going to have to give me some riding tips, though. It's been so long," Roy replied.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Bill replied.

Just then, the boys came down the steps dressed for the day. Both were wearing flannel shirts, jeans, and boots.

Annie saw them and said, "Well, howdy Mattlock! You look ready to take on the world, as usual." She stood up and walked over to them. "And who's this?" she asked, looking at Will with her hands on her hips.

"This is Will, my cousin, Cattle Annie," Mattlock said. Will looked nervous meeting the new person.

Annie bent over with her left hand on her left knee and she extended her right hand to shake Will's. "Nice to meet ya, Cousin Will," she said. He reticently shook her hand. "Don't be shy, Will. I won't bite," she said with a smile and then rubbed the top of his head. "Land sakes! I've never seen such handsome young men in all my born days," she exclaimed.

"Daddy, can we go outside and play?" Mattlock asked.

"Have you had breakfast?" Bill asked.

"No," Mattlock replied.

"Yes, but eat some breakfast before you do," Bill replied. "There's some food ready in the kitchen."

"Okay," Mattlock said, and took Will by the hand and escorted him to the kitchen.

Cattle Annie watched them and shook her head and smiled. "Well, Flo…when do you want to go? The museum opens at ten this morning."

"I suppose I could leave any time," she said, looking at Roy.

"Leave when you want and have fun," Roy said. "Bill and I will have a great time."

Annie looked at her watch. "It's 9:30 now."

"Let's finish drinking our coffees, and then leave," Flo said.

"Sounds like a plan, honey," Annie replied.

The adults chatted with one another a little longer and Flo and Cattle Annie left to go to the museum. The boys finished their breakfasts and walked through the living room.

"We're going to go to the tree house again, Daddy," Mattlock said.

"Okay, son. Bo and Lamar are close to the house today, so let them know if you go anywhere else. Your uncle and I are going to go riding around the property," Bill said.

Will perked up at that. "Can we go with you?" he asked.

"I think I'd like to spend some time with my brother, and you and Mattlock should spend as much time with each other as you can since we're only going to be here a few more days," Roy interjected. He continued, "I promise we'll all ride together before we leave."

"Okay," Will replied.

"Oh, and your mom has gone to the museum with Cattle Annie. She won't be back until this afternoon," Roy said.

"Okay," Will replied.

"Let's go to the tree house," Mattlock said.

"Have a good time," Roy said.

The boys went outside. Bo and Lamar were stacking firewood on the south side of the mansion. "Where are you boys headed?" Lamar asked.

"We're going to the tree house," Mattlock said.

"Gonna be gunslingers again?" Bo asked.

"I don't see any guns, Bo," Lamar observed.

"You're right, Lamar," Bo replied with his hands on his hips evaluating the boys from head to toe.

"They're up in the tree house," Mattlock replied.

"Ooohhh," Bo replied.

Mattlock pointed at his chest. "I'm Greedy Guy Amarillo and Will's Ramblin' Red Curtis."

"Cowboy names? You sure are creative," Lamar said.

"We're outlaws," Mattlock said.

Bo laughed hysterically and Lamar slapped him. "I can tell by the names," Lamar said. "I like 'em."

"Well, boys, you have fun. We've got some work to do," Bo said.

The boys headed for the tree house. Shortly after, Roy and Bill came up to Bo and Lamar.

"We're going to go to the barn and take a couple of horses on a ride around the property," Bill told them.

"Do you want us to saddle 'em for ya?" Bo asked.

"No. I can manage. Which ones should we take out?"

"The sorrel and black quarter horses need some ridin'," Bo said.

"Alright. See you boys later," Bill said.

"Have a great time," Lamar said, tipping his hat to Roy and Bill.

The two men headed to the barn to get their horses. Up in the tree house, instead of pretending to be cowboys or outlaws, the boys were sitting at the table in the tree house coloring in coloring books of cowboys and Indians.

"Have you seen that television show _Gunsmoke?_" Mattlock asked.

"No," Will said.

"Really?" Mattlock said in surprised tone.

"When is it on?" Will asked.

"Saturday nights, late," Mattlock said.

"I have to go to bed early every night," Will replied.

"Oh. Daddy lets me stay up late on Friday or Saturday. I get to pick which night," Mattlock said.

"What's the show about?" Will asked.

"It's a cowboy show about a Marshall named Matt and his deputy named Chester. They are the good guys," Mattlock explained.

"What's good about it?" Will asked as he colored.

"It's got lots of action, shooting, and scary bad guys," Mattlock said.

"Neat," Will said. "Uncle Bill sounds like a fun dad," he observed.

"He is," Mattlock said with a smile.

"Do you ever get in trouble?" Will asked.

"Oh yes!" Mattlock exclaimed.

"Do you get a spankin'?" Will asked.

"No. Daddy's never spanked me. He just talks to me," Mattlock said.

"Lucky," Will said.

"Uncle Roy spanks you?" Mattlock asked with a worried look on his face.

"Yep," Will confirmed.

"A lot?" Mattlock asked.

"No. Just when I do something _really_ bad," Will replied.

"Wow," Mattlock said, flabbergasted. He thought for a bit. "Well, maybe you can watch _Gunsmoke_ with us Saturday night since you're on Christmas break."

"Maybe. We can ask," Will said.

The two colored and played cards and games in the tree house until lunch when Sergei brought some bag lunches again. This time Sergei climbed the ladder himself.

"Whew! That's harder than it looks," Sergei said, looking down from the deck of the tree house. "Boys, I have your lunches." He opened the door and crouched over to fit under the door frame. He held out the sacks but did not enter the tree house.

Mattlock walked up and grabbed the sacks. "Thanks Sergei," he said.

"Schastlivaya yeda, Mattlock," Sergei said. "Your father and uncle are still out riding. Will, your mother is still out with Cattle Annie. Just come inside and let me know if either of you need anything."

"Okay, Sergei," Mattlock said. Sergei backed up and closed the door behind him and climbed awkwardly down the ladder and went back into the mansion.

The boys talked and ate their lunches at the table in the tree house. Afterward, they discussed what to do for the rest of the day.

"I have an idea. Let's go exploring. I can show you where we got the Christmas tree," Mattlock said.

"That sounds like fun," Will said.

"Okay. Let's go," Mattlock said with a smile. The two left the tree house and climbed down the ladder. Mattlock started walking toward the woods west of the mansion.

Will grabbed Mattlock's arm. "Shouldn't we tell someone where we're going?"

"It's not that far," Mattlock said.

"Okay," Will said hesitantly.

The two walked through the back yard and then down the path that Mattlock had gone days earlier with the men when they went looking for a Christmas tree. The path crackled and snapped as they stepped on the dried leaves and twigs. Mattlock confidently led Will down the path as if he had walked it a thousand times. Will followed close behind. They walked for about twenty minutes until the well-worn path ended and Mattlock turned toward the southwest and headed toward the grove of Afghan pines. After a few minutes, they arrived at the grove of pines and inspected the trees together. They sat down on the ground in the middle of the grove and talked for a while.

Back at the mansion, Bill and Roy had returned from their ride together and went inside and sat down to have a late lunch.

"Where are the boys?" Bill asked Sergei.

"They are in the tree house. I brought them their lunch about an hour ago," Sergei replied.

"The tour of the property yesterday didn't do it justice by car. I'm glad I got to see it by horseback," Roy said. "I'm also glad I didn't fall off the horse."

"I had faith in you," Bill said.

"Your property is beautiful. Flo mentioned it and showed me her sketches, but it really is something. Those horses are well trained as well. It's like they already knew me," Roy said.

"I credit Bo and Lamar with that. They are excellent at breaking and training horses," Bill said.

"They seem like great ranch hands," Roy said.

"And great at entertaining Mattlock when I'm not around," Bill replied.

The two men talked over their late lunch for a few minutes and Flo and Cattle Annie returned. The two women walked into the kitchen.

"Howdy gentlemen," Cattle Annie said.

"How did the museum go?" Bill asked.

"It was fantastic. Such a large and diverse collection," Flo said.

"We went to the Triple A for lunch. It was wall to wall diners today. Hard to believe that many people have to work the Friday before Christmas," Cattle Annie said.

"I'd like to take Will back to the museum before we leave. I think he'd enjoy it. Maybe we could all go. Mattlock might like it too," Flo said. "Where are the boys?"

"Sergei said they are up in the tree house," Bill said.

"Wow. They've been up there since this morning," Flo said.

Back in the grove of pines, Mattlock stood up and wiped the dirt from the back of his pants and Will did the same. "We should get back," Mattlock said. It was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon.

They started walking, but instead of walking back the way they came, Mattlock accidentally led them further south through the woods. They walked for a few minutes and Mattlock stopped and rubbed his head as if he was confused.

"What's wrong?" Will asked.

"Nothing. Let's walk this way," Mattlock said. He led them to the west, not realizing he was leading them further away from home and closer to neighboring undeveloped property.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong?" Will asked.

"It's just that I thought we'd be on the path by now," Mattlock said as he turned to look at Will.

Will had a worried expression on his face but said nothing.

"Don't worry," Mattlock said. "I can get us back."


	7. Chapter 7

Around 3:30 in the afternoon, Bill went outside to go get the boys. He stood under the tree house and yelled, "Mattlock! Will!"

There was no answer. Bo and Lamar were walking from the barn to the house.

"Mattlock! Will!" Bill repeated.

"Bo…. Lamar. Have you seen the boys?" Bill asked.

The two men looked at each other and back at Bill. "No," they said in unison.

Bill quickly climbed the ladder to the tree house, opened the door, crouched, and looked inside. Bo and Lamar watched from below. He turned around and climbed back down the ladder.

"They're not in the tree house," Bill said.

"We was wonderin' why they didn't come by the barn yet for a ride this afternoon," Bo replied.

"Yeah," Lamar affirmed.

Bill walked quickly into the house with Bo and Lamar trying to keep up from behind. Bill burst through the door. Bo and Lamar entered the house behind Bill and stood in the foyer with their hats in their hands. "Mattlock!" Bill yelled. Roy, Annie, and Flo came in first, alarmed by Bill's tone. Sergei followed behind them.

When there was no answer from Mattlock inside the house, Bill said, "Sergei…."

"Yes, Bill?" Sergei replied.

"When did you last see the boys? They weren't in the tree house and Bo and Lamar haven't seen them," Bill replied with urgency in his voice.

Sergei looked nervously around the room at everyone. "Let's see…uh….1 o'clock?" he said.

"Are you sure?" Bill asked.

"Sometime around 1 or 1:30. I'm sure," Sergei replied.

"They're missing," Bill said.

Flo gasped and put both hands to her mouth.

"They could be anywhere. We need to find them before dark," Bill said.

"How can we help, Mr. Houston?" Lamar asked.

Bill rubbed his hand through his hair and then rubbed his chin nervously. "We need to get some horses together and search for them. They must have gone off into the woods."

"Don't worry, Bill. They can't have gone far," Roy reassured.

"I'll help you out, Bill, honey," Cattle Annie said.

"Thanks to the both of you," Bill said.

"How many horses, Mr. Houston?" Bo asked.

Bill looked around the room. "Flo, would you mind staying at the house with Sergei while we all go looking for the boys, in case they come back here?"

"Not at all," Flo said with a worried look on her face.

"Five horses, boys," Bill said.

"It'll take a bit to get them all saddled up," Bo said.

"Just do it as fast as you can," Bill replied.

Bo and Lamar ran out of the house and out to the barn. Bill stood in the living room pacing and wringing his hands.

"It'll be all right, honey," Cattle Annie said. "We'll find 'em in no time flat."

Meanwhile, Mattlock and Will had entered the undeveloped property west of the Houston acreage. The sun was nearing the horizon and it was getting colder.

"I think we're lost," Mattlock finally admitted.

Will stood frozen with a look of panic on his face.

"I think we should stop and wait. Daddy may be trying to find us," Mattlock said.

"I'm scared," Will said.

"Don't worry," Mattlock replied. "Let's go over here and sit down," he said as he directed Will to sit down on a log.

"I can't believe we're lost. And we didn't tell anyone where we went," Will said with a quavering voice.

Mattlock put his left arm around Will's shoulders. "Don't worry. I know my Daddy. He's already out looking for us."

"Are you sure?" Will asked.

"Yep," Mattlock replied.

"We're going to be in so much trouble," Will said.

Mattlock just looked at him without saying anything.

Roy, Bill, Bo, Lamar, and Cattle Annie were all out in the barn getting on their horses. "Bo, you take the north forest," Bill said. He directed Bo to go it alone because he knew the forest around the property better than anyone. "When you're done checking the north side, cross the road and check the neighbors to see if they've seen the boys." Bill paused and continued. "Lamar and Cattle Annie, I want you to take the south forest. And, Roy and I will take the west."

"Okay, Mr. Houston," Bo said.

"We'll meet back here at the barn in an hour and a half whether we find them or not. It's 4:30 now. I'll see you all back here at 6 pm sharp," Bill said decisively. All of them fanned out and went their separate ways as the sun went down.

"I've never seen Bill so all fired up before," Cattle Annie said.

"Little Mattlock is the apple of that man's eye," Lamar replied.

"Well, I always knew that. He's just always so calm and collected," Cattle Annie said.

"I hope we find those boys alright. There are some nasty critters out here at night," Lamar said. "Even if they don't run into any of those critters, they're bound to get scared."

"Poor babies. I'm sure we'll find 'em," Cattle Annie said.

Heading deeper into the woods, Lamar yelled, "Mattlock! Will!"

Cattle Annie echoed Lamar. "Mattlock! Will!"

Sensing that Will was getting more and more nervous and being the older cousin, Mattlock came up with an idea to calm Will down. "Hey Will…Do you want to play a game?"

"A game? Now?" Will asked.

"Sure. Got nothin' better to do," Mattlock replied.

"I guess," Will replied.

"Okay. I see something that starts with the letter 'L'," Mattlock said. "What do you think that is?"

"I know this game. I've played it in the car with mom and dad," Will replied. "It's called 'I Spy.'"

"I don't know what it's called. I thought I just made it up," Mattlock said.

"My dad said he learned about the game when he was out of America," Will said.

"Well, what do you see that starts with 'L?'" Mattlock repeated.

Will looked around, and up and down. "That's easy. Leaves!" Will replied.

"Yep. Your turn," Mattlock said.

Will took his time and looked all around once more. "I spy something that begins with 'D,'" he said.

Mattlock scrutinized the area around them and then looked off in the distance. He looked down at the ground. "Dirt?"

Will shook his head 'no.'

Mattlock got a progressively more puzzled look on his face, not discovering what Will was seeing. "I don't know. I don't see anything that starts with 'D,'" he said.

Will held one index finger to his lips and with his other index finger pointed deeper into the woods but not too far from them.

Mattlock looked and said, "Deer!" Unfortunately he said it a little too loudly, and the deer perked up and bound into the woods away from them. "That was neat! I haven't been that close to a deer before."

"Me neither," Will said.

"My turn," Mattlock said, and looked around. After a few moments he said, "I spy something that begins with 'P.'"

Will guessed 'puddle' right away and the boys played the game for a few more minutes until it got dark.

Roy and Bill were riding alongside one another on the west edge of the property. Bill wore anxiety on his face like a funeral pall.

"Bill, don't worry. We'll find them," Roy said.

"I'm not worried about them being lost. There are some wild animals out here and they are just little boys. Mattlock forgets that he's little," Bill said.

"He's quite the boy, isn't he?" Roy said.

"What do you mean?" Bill asked.

"Outgoing, adventurous, humorous," Roy listed.

"That and more. He's a good boy," Bill said. "Will's a great boy too."

"He is, but he's a little more timid than I'd like him to be," Roy said. "Your boy is bold."

"There's room in the world for all kinds, Roy. We can't all be like you and Mattlock," Bill said.

"True," Roy replied.

Bill shouted, "Mattlock! Will!" There was no response.

"Still, I worry about him. He's very sensitive, like his mother. He's got to be terrified right now," Roy said.

"Maybe he is. Mattlock has a way about him," Bill said. "Will probably doesn't feel too alone."

"I hope so," Roy said. He paused and yelled, "Will! Mattlock!"

The boys were squeezed together sitting on the log in the dark to keep warm. "I'm scared," Will said.

"Don't be," Mattlock replied.

"I can't help it," Will said.

Just then, the boys heard some twigs snap in the woods. Then they heard some howls, yips, and yelps alternating with each other in the near distance. Mattlock could barely see Will's wide eyes in the almost pitch black darkness.

Mattlock appeared worried now. "Let's get down and hide on the ground behind this log and be quiet," he said to Will.

"Why? What's that sound?" Will asked, somewhat breathless.

"I don't know, but if we're quiet and we hide, maybe it will go away," Mattlock replied.

Will saw some logic in the argument and complied. The two crawled close to the log and faced each other on the ground shivering. Neither was dressed warm enough for a Texas winter night.

Bo rode his horse through the darkness, illuminating his path through the north side of the property with his flashlight. He yelled, "Mattlock! Will!" He shined his flashlight on the ground and up in the trees, in case the boys climbed up in one and couldn't get down. He periodically stopped his horse to listen to the forest sounds to see if he could hear the boys talking or crying for help. Most of the times he stopped, he didn't hear anything except the usual sounds of nature. A few times, he heard some scurrying sounds through the leaves and saw a possum one time and a raccoon another.

Cattle Annie and Lamar were still wandering through the area they were responsible for searching. Both had turned on their flashlights and were shining them everywhere they could.

"What time is it?" Lamar asked.

Cattle Annie shined her flashlight on her wristwatch. "It's quarter 'til six."

"We better start headin' on back," Lamar said.

"Dang it! Where can these boys be?" Cattle Annie said, pushing her hat back on her head.

"I hope they're alright," Lamar said, starting to sound like he had his doubts.

"I'm sure they're fine. They're just not anywhere near us. That's all," Cattle Annie said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself, as much as she was trying to convince Lamar.

Lamar tried calling them again. "Mattlock! Will!"

"Sure is getting' cold out here. Must be forty degrees or so," Cattle Annie said.

"Let's head on back. We don't want to worry anyone," Lamar cautioned.

They continued to call the boys and shine their flashlights on the way back. Meanwhile Roy and Bill crossed over into the undeveloped property west of the Houston property. They had their flashlights lit and searched the landscape. They talked to each other and shouted out the boys' names often, but there still had been no answer.

"It's getting time to go back. Perhaps we should call the police for help," Roy advised.

"You may be right," Bill said. "I don't know what I'm going to do if I lose Mattlock," he said, rubbing his hand through his hair after they had stopped their horses.

"You're not going to. We'll find him. We'll find them both," Roy reassured.

"I don't know how you handled two wars and that government contract work you did – or do. Just the thought of losing Mattlock has me practically beside myself," Bill commented.

"I think you have to be a bit of a thrill seeker. You must have some of that to be so successful in business," Roy said.

"Maybe. But life and limb are not usually at stake. I'm never terrified like I am now," Bill said.

Roy reached out and put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "It will be alright, Bill. We'll find them both. Let's keep looking. The others will understand if we're a little late to our rendezvous.

The boys were flat on their stomachs on the ground next to the log facing each other. Mattlock was holding one of Will's hands in one of his and they were whispering to each other. They talked about what sorts of presents they wanted from Santa and how they'd like to spend the rest of Will's visit. Suddenly, Mattlock hushed Will and looked about twenty feet away from where they were. He saw red eyes glowing in the darkness.

"What's wrong?" Will asked in a whisper.

"Shh!" Mattlock said, and pointed in the direction of the eyes.

Will and Mattlock both got a look of panic on their faces, not knowing who or what the sinister eyes belonged to. Then they heard larger footfalls and, what earlier had been shivering in the cold air, turned into outright trembling in terror. Will's eyes teared up and Mattlock gripped his cousin's hand harder. Then, sounding incredibly near, Bill shouted, "Mattlock! Will!" The red-eyed creature scurried away in a hurry and Mattlock jumped up from behind the log and yelled, "Daddy! We're here!" A flashlight shined in Mattlock's face as Will got up from the ground.

Bill jumped off his horse and ran over to Mattlock and lifted him in his arms. Mattlock hugged Bill's neck for dear life. Roy got down off of his horse and picked up Will and held him on his right hip. Will held on to Roy's jacket.

"You boys gave us all a fright," Roy said.

"You should have told someone where you were going, son," Bill said.

"I know, Daddy. I'll never forget again," Mattlock replied.

"Well, let's get back home, then," Bill said. "The others are waiting for us."

The two men put the boys on their horses first and climbed astride the horses themselves. They headed back to the mansion following the trail they had just created with their two horses. It took about twenty-five minutes to arrive back at the barn where everyone was waiting.

"We were going to send a search party after y'all," Bo said. "Looks like you found yourselves a couple of rascals," he said smiling a big, toothy grin.

"Sure did," Bill said as he jumped off his horse and then lowered Mattlock to the ground. Mattlock stood with his hands behind his back and avoided eye contact with the group.

Roy got off his horse and put Will on the ground. Will walked over and stood near Mattlock. "Yep, they were pretty far off course today," Roy said.

Bo took the reins of both Bill and Roy's horses. "I'll put your horses up with the others. Lamar, you best be getting' back to Beulah. You know how she gets if you're late."

"Thanks, Bo," Lamar said, tipping his hat to him. "Good luck, Mattlock and Will," Lamar said as he left.

The two boys looked at each other with worried expressions.

"I'll go tell Flo the boys are safe and sound," Cattle Annie said, and walked by both boys and patted them on their heads, and headed to the house.

The boys were left standing in the dark outside the barn with Roy and Bill after Bo, Lamar, and Cattle Annie went their separate ways.

"Are we in trouble, Daddy?" Mattlock asked quietly, averting his eyes from either man.

"I don't know son. We need to eat dinner and I need to think about it a bit," Bill said calmly.

"Am I going to get a spanking?" Will asked Roy directly.

Roy looked at him. "I don't think this warrants a spanking, but I need to think about it like your Uncle Bill. You both really had us all scared. You could have been hurt, or worse," Roy explained.

"Enough of this talk. Let's all go inside and see what Sergei has for us to eat," Bill said. After that was said, the two boys and the two men walked together back to the house for dinner, and, for the boys, likely, an early bedtime.


	8. Chapter 8

The next day was Christmas Eve Day. Bill and Roy decided to shelve the punishments for a day or two, and hadn't decided yet, if the boys would be punished at all for their escapade. After lunch, Roy suggested everyone go to the Museum of Fine Arts as Flo wanted, and she certainly had no problem going two days in a row, not having seen the whole thing the first time she went. So, Roy, Bill, Flo, and the boys all went to the museum and at the end of the visit, everyone was sure of their favorites. Mattlock and Bill liked the Hogg Collection of Frederic Remington works and the Arts of North America Collection in general. Roy and Flo liked the Arts of Europe Collection with Roy preferring French Academy art and Flo preferring Post-Impressionism and Modern Art. Will surprised everyone with his newfound fascination for the Arts of Asia Collection, particularly 13th century Indian bronzes. In late afternoon, they made a full day of it and went out to dinner.

Once they returned home, they all sat in the living room together rehashing the day.

"I can't believe that collection. Can you, Roy?" Flo asked.

"We certainly don't have anything like it in Tuscon, or even Phoenix. It's not the National Gallery or The Louvre, but it's excellent, for sure," Roy replied.

"Will, what was your favorite artwork?" Flo asked, putting her arm around him.

"I liked the person with all the arms that was tall as me," Will said, holding his hand over his head.

"That's Shiva, the Hindu god," Flo said. "He is performing a divine dance that symbolizes the ongoing cycle of creation, preservation, and destruction of the universe."

Mattlock chimed in. "I liked the boxers!" he exclaimed.

"Oh yes. The George Bellows print. Excellent choice," Flo said.

"Yes, Mattlock. I've been a fan of Bellows back when I first discovered him after World War I. I was actually learning to box around that time, myself. He's really good at capturing raw energy," Roy said.

The two boys just looked at him agape.

"You see why I married him?" Flo said, putting her arms through the crook of Roy's elbow.

Bill smiled at Flo. "They must have rotated their permanent collection, because I really liked that Thomas Cole and I don't remember seeing it the last time I was there," Bill said.

"You never know. A museum's collection could never be rotated and you'll still see something you haven't seen before," Flo replied.

"Can we go play up in my room," Mattlock asked Bill.

"Sure, son," Bill replied. "It will be bedtime in a couple of hours."

Mattlock stood up and locked his hands behind his back and looked down at the floor. "Daddy, it's Saturday night."

Bill replied, "Yes it is."

Mattlock paused to look around the room and back at his father. "Can we stay up and watch _Gunsmoke?_"

Bill sighed and looked at Roy and Flo. "What do you think? It's on at 10 o'clock, and I usually let Mattlock watch it."

"I don't know. They both gave us quite a scare last night," Roy replied.

"And Santa is supposed to come tonight," Flo said. "They should really get to bed at a normal time."

Mattlock looked disappointed. Will looked at Mattlock.

"We'll go right to sleep after _Gunsmoke,_" Mattlock urged.

"You might be too excited. It's supposed to be a special episode tonight," Bill said.

"I promise," Mattlock said.

"_We_ promise," Will agreed.

The adults all looked at each other. Bill asked Flo and Roy, "Are you okay with Will staying up late?"

Flo said to Roy, "It _is_ a holiday. Will doesn't have to be in school anytime soon."

"Still, there should be consequences for yesterday," Roy replied.

"Roy, I think we can save that for after Christmas, don't you?" Bill replied.

The boys had worried looks on their faces.

"I suppose so," Roy replied.

"Okay. Go play up in your room and I'll come get you when it's time for _Gunsmoke,_" Bill said.

Mattlock put his hands on his hips and smiled at Will who beamed back at him. The two ran up the stairs to Mattlock's room. For the next two and a half hours the boys played in Mattlock's room and the adults recapped the day and whispered about what 'Santa' would be doing that night. When the show was about to start, Bill went upstairs and got the boys. They ran ahead of him down the stairs to the television and plopped down in front of it on the floor. The adults sat behind them on the living room furniture.

At first, the boys were riveted and everyone was silent. After a few minutes, the questions started.

"What's Lucifer Jones' problem?" Mattlock asked.

"Yeah. He's mean!" Will said.

"He's got a lot of problems, Mattlock," Bill said of the religious fundamentalist character.

"His name is Lucifer, Mattlock. Do you know who that is?" Flo asked.

"No," Mattlock said, still watching the show and half-listening to her.

"It's another name for the devil," Flo said. Mattlock whipped around to look at her. She continued, "So you know what that means, right?"

Mattlock exclaimed, "He's the bad guy!"

"Exactly," Flo replied.

They all watched the show quietly for a couple of minutes.

"Why is Chester worried about seeing his brother?" Will asked.

"We don't know yet, son," Roy said.

A couple of minutes later, Will asked, "Is that Chester's brother?"

"Yes," Roy replied.

They all continued to watch the episode in silence.

"Chester doesn't understand his brother," Mattlock said. "He's been wrong about him a lot."

"You're right, son," Bill affirmed.

After a few more minutes, Mattlock said, "Oh my gosh. Lucifer's gonna shoot Miss Kitty! Why's he gonna do that?" he asked with a worried expression on his face.

"Does he think she's bad?" Will asked.

"Yes, boys," Bill replied.

"Why?" Mattlock asked.

"It's complicated, but he doesn't like what Miss Kitty does for a job," Bill replied.

"That's no reason to shoot her," Mattlock observed.

"No, it's not," Bill replied.

The show ended and Flo said, "Wow. That got scary."

"What did you think, boys?" Roy asked.

"I'm glad he didn't shoot Miss Kitty," Mattlock said.

"Me too," Will agreed.

"That episode had a moral. Did you understand it?" Bill asked.

"What's a moral?" Mattlock asked.

"It's like a lesson to learn," Flo replied.

"Chester judged his brother Magnus and Lucifer Jones judged Miss Kitty, and both were wrong. You see, it's best not to label people or pre-judge them. You're almost always wrong and it can be dangerous," Bill said, always striving to instruct Mattlock in lessons for living.

"Yes, Daddy," Mattlock said.

"Okay, time for you two to go to bed, or Santa won't come," Bill replied. "Flo, would you tuck the boys in this time?" Bill asked.

"Absolutely," she replied. "C'mon, boys. You know the deal. You have to go right to bed after the television show." She put her hands on both their backs and escorted them to the stairs and they all walked up to Mattlock's bedroom.

"Your packages arrived here last week," Bill said quietly to Roy. "Let's wait another thirty minutes to play Santa."

Roy winked at him. A few minutes later, Flo came down the stairs from Mattlock's bedroom. "The boys practically fell asleep right after their heads hit their pillows."

"Mattlock does that every weekend. He thinks he's a tough guy, but forgets that he's in a little boy's body," Bill replied.

"I'm surprised Will could stay up as long as he did," Roy replied.

After a few more minutes, Roy and Bill went upstairs quietly to the guest room in which Bill had hidden the packages of presents from them and his presents for Mattlock. Flo stayed behind in the living room moving small pieces of furniture to clear a path to the tree and straightening the tree skirt. A few trips had to be made. Roy's family presents came down first in their shipping packages. Roy and Bill placed the packages on the ground and Flo cut them open with a scissor blade and took out the presents and arranged them randomly under the tree. She placed the large ones toward the back and the smaller ones toward the front of the tree. It took a few minutes to get all of the presents from upstairs to under the tree, but once they were all arranged, Roy and Flo sat down and Bill went to turn off the living room lights so that the room was lit only by the lights on the tree and he joined the other two to admire their work. Shortly after their respite, they all retired to bed.

The next morning, Mattlock and Will got up before sunrise and Mattlock hushed Will and told him to stand outside his bedroom, and he walked to his father's bedroom door, opened it, and quietly walked inside. Bill was sound asleep and didn't hear Mattlock approach.

Mattlock gently put both hands on Bill's upper left arm and said, "Daddy?"

Bill didn't respond.

"Daddy?" Mattlock repeated.

Bill opened his eyes and looked at the silhouette of his son. "What is it?" he asked groggily.

"It's Christmas, Daddy," Mattlock whispered.

Bill reached over and turned on the light on his nightstand and squinted his eyes at his alarm clock. "It's 5:30 in the morning, son," he said.

"Will and I are awake. Can we open presents?" Mattlock asked.

"Hold your horses, son. Not everyone is awake yet," Bill replied.

Mattlock just stared at him expectantly.

Bill sighed. "Okay, let me get your aunt and uncle up and we'll meet you downstairs."

"Thanks, Daddy," Mattlock said, and bolted out of the room to retrieve Will. The boys ran down the stairs into the living room and sat on the floor in front of all the presents in the faintly glowing light of the Christmas tree lights. They mirrored each other, sitting on their hands and fidgeting with nervous anticipation.

Minutes later, the adults came down the stairs yawning and in their pajamas. It took an hour or so for everyone to open their presents. Some of the presents Mattlock received were a _Buck Rogers Sonic Ray Light Gun, _a toy Porsche car, a _Take Apart Cars Garage,_ and an Electronic Receiving Station and German Motorcycle toy, both from Roy and Flo. Will received a _Bomber Exploding Ship,_ a _Siren Jeep,_ some building blocks, a _Military Academy Play Set_, and a phonograph with 12 records for children and a _Flexy Racer, _both from Bill. The boys also received assortments of board games and coloring books and art supplies and in the end, it was a good Christmas haul.

Roy gifted his wife with art supplies and a ring and gave Bill a collection of beer steins from Germany. Bill gave Roy hardbound versions of Ian Fleming's _Casino Royale_ and _Live and Let Die, _and a leather bound, ruled journal for his own writing.

"Well, what do you think, boys?" Bill asked. "Did Santa come through this year?"

"Yes!" the boys replied together.

Sergei came downstairs from his quarters. "I prepared some things yesterday, but I'll be working on the holiday meal this morning and it should be ready for early afternoon. Can I get anyone anything?" he asked.

"Could you brew us some coffee? I think it will be a long day if we don't have any. Right?" he asked rubbing his eyes and then looking at Roy and Flo.

"I definitely could use some coffee," Roy said.

"Me too," replied Flo.

"_What are we having today, Sergei?"_ Roy asked in Russian.

Sergei replied in English, "Christmas ham, beef brisket, mashed potatoes, yams, rolls, corn, green beans, salad, and pumpkin and apple pie."

"Mmmmm. Sounds great," Flo said.

"Thanks madam," Sergei said. With that, he went into the kitchen to start some coffee and work on the holiday meal. He put on his apron and found an envelope in the pocket. It contained his more than generous Christmas bonus from Bill, and the message 'Merry Christmas' in cursive on the memo line of the check. He smiled to himself and put it back in his apron pocket.

Cattle Annie showed up around Noon, being an invited guest of the holiday meal. She let herself in this time, and the adults were talking in the living room after they had finally gotten dressed for the day, and the boys were still in their pajamas playing with all of their new toys.

"Howdy, y'all!" she said and tipped her hat. Everyone greeted her back. She was dressed in her cowgirl best as usual. "Well, little Mattlock, I've got a present for you outside," she said. "Come take a look-see."

Mattlock got up and she escorted him to the door and everyone else followed to see what she had gotten him. She opened the door and walked him outside. Tied to a tree, was a miniature Shetland pony mare with a brown and white, skewbald pattern.

"Is he mine?" Mattlock asked.

"_She's_ all yours, partner," Cattle Annie replied.

"Cattle Annie, you shouldn't have," Bill said.

"Nonsense, Bill. It's time for this child to have a boy-sized equine to practice on," Annie replied.

Just then, Bo and Lamar walked up and stood with their hands on their hips looking at the tiny horse, and laughed out loud at the miniature animal.

Mattlock ran up to the pony and hugged her neck. "I love her, Cattle Annie. Thank you!"

"Guess we're gonna have to look for a tiny saddle for Mattlock to use now, Lamar," Bo said.

"I might could probably get ya one, boys," Annie replied. She looked over at Will who had a disappointed look on his face. She walked over behind the tree the pony was tied to and pulled out a box for him. She held the box out to Will.

"For me?" Will asked.

"Well, I handed it to _you_, didn't I, honey?" she asked.

Will placed it on the porch and opened the package carefully, while the adults looked on. He pulled out an Army uniform with a belt, helmet, and boots. He smiled and held up the uniform for everyone to see. Annie had gotten "Houston" embroidered on the name tag.

"I hope that's okay, honey. Your uncle told me you were into army stuff," Cattle Annie said. "He also told me you already have a rifle."

"Yep. I love it, Cattle Annie. Thank you!" Will replied.

"Yes, thanks Cattle Annie. You shouldn't have," Roy said.

"Enough. You Houston men are all alike," she replied. "Now when are we gonna strap on the feedbag? I'm starvin'."

"We'll take the _horse_ to the barn," Bo said with a hint of sarcasm.

After the horse was put up, Bo and Lamar got cleaned up and Bo joined the Houstons for the holiday meal and Lamar went home to Beulah and her family. Around 1:30 pm, Bo, Annie, Roy, Flo, Sergei, Bill, and the boys sat down and dined on what Sergei had prepared, until they were all "filled to the gills," as Bo said.

"Sergei, you have outdone yourself, honey," Cattle Annie said. "I don't think my mother could make a meal as good as you did today, and that's sayin' somethin'."

"Thank you, Cattle Annie," Sergei said, bowing his head to her.

"She's right, Sergei. It was fantastic. Thank you again. Why don't you join us and relax and we'll help you clean up later," Bill said.

"That would be very nice, Bill," Sergei replied.

All the adults talked through the afternoon and into the evening and played some card games. Cattle Annie once again proved her poker prowess with Bill, Roy, and Bo, and cleaned up handily at the game. Flo played with the boys and played some games with the adults. They all picked at the food left over from the meal well into the evening when they all stopped to watch _The Jack Benny Program_ and _The_ _Ed Sullivan Show _on television. Sergei and Roy were particularly pleased to see the figure skater, Miroslava Nachodska on _The Ed Sullivan Show,_ while Bill was excited to see Rod Steiger, who he had seen the year before in the theater in _On the Waterfront_.

The boys could barely keep their eyes open by the beginning of _The Ed Sullivan Show_ and were down for the count by the end of it. Flo took them to Mattlock's room and tucked them in as she had the night before. Sergei retired to his quarters, and then Bo took Cattle Annie back to her place in his car, and after a little more television, the remaining adults went to bed themselves.


	9. Chapter 9

The boys had one more day together before Will had to leave with his parents on Tuesday. They spent some more time with Bo and Lamar and Mattlock's new pony. Cattle Annie had a small saddle that she brought to the Houstons, and Bo and Lamar taught Mattlock how to saddle his pony. Cattle Annie warned Mattlock not to spoil her, and Bo and Lamar taught him how to tend her. Cattle Annie spent the day playing poker with Bill, Roy, and even dealt in novice Flo, teaching her the game. Sergei prepared the meals on this low-key day, and in the end, no punishments were meted out to Mattlock and Will for wandering off alone into the woods and not telling anyone.

Tuesday morning came and Will and Mattlock were in his bedroom while Roy and Flo packed up their car to head back to Tucson.

"It was nice catching up, Roy," Bill said. "And nice to finally meet you, Flo."

"Let's make a point to see each other more regularly," Roy said. "At least summers and holidays."

"I'd love to," Bill said.

"Mattlock is a special boy," Roy said.

"So is Will. He's a little more sensitive than Mattlock, and the world needs more sensitive people. I'm glad I finally got to meet my nephew too," Bill said.

"He actually reminds me a lot of you," Roy said. "How you were when you were his age."

Bill smiled.

"Bill, I meant to tell you something the other day," Flo said.

"Oh?" Bill replied.

"Yes. Mattlock wanted to buy his friend a present from the gift store at the museum and I helped him pick out something he thought she would like. He had some of his allowance money, but was a couple of dollars short so I made up the difference."

"That was nice of you. I could have done that, though," Bill said.

"That's alright. I loved helping him out," Flo said. "It made him very happy."

"Well, thank you, Flo," Bill said.

"It's the least I could do for such a gracious host," Flo replied.

"Yes, Bill. It's been wonderful. I'm really going to miss you and Mattlock," Roy said, as he reached out and hugged Bill.

"We better get going," Roy said. "We've got a long drive ahead of us." He walked back to the house and opened the door and shouted for Will. "Will, we have to get going!" About a minute later, Will emerged from the mansion with Mattlock.

The boys walked over with Roy to the car.

"Maybe we can get together this summer, Daddy," Mattlock said to Bill.

"Maybe so, son. We're going to try," Bill replied.

"I had fun," Mattlock said to Will. Each boy paused and shuffled their feet a little and Mattlock finally grabbed Will and hugged him tight.

The adults smiled at each other.

"Okay, son. Better get in the car. We've got to be going," Roy said.

"Bye Mattlock," Will said to his cousin.

"Bye," Mattlock said with a frown. Will climbed in the backseat of the car as Roy held the door, and Roy closed it behind him. Roy and Flo hugged Bill and Mattlock one more time and got in the car. They all waved as they left and finally drove out of view.

Will ended up visiting the summer of 1956. In the fall of 1956, Roy took a job with The Company in Budapest from October 23 – November 4. Bill kept close tabs on Flo and Will via nightly phone calls during that period, but Roy never said what he was doing overseas.

After Roy and his family left, Bill said, "So son, Flo tells me you bought C.J. a gift."

"Am I in trouble?" Mattlock replied with a worried expression on his face.

"No," Bill said. "I was just wondering what you got her. Your aunt said you got her something at the museum."

"I can show you," Mattlock replied as he took Bill's hand.

"I'd love to see it," Bill said.

The two went inside and it was Bill's last day off before he had to go back to work, so he sat down with some coffee and the daily paper while Mattlock went to get the present he had gotten for C.J. He came back down the stairs with it. He climbed onto the couch next to Bill and handed him the gift.

"_Marc Chagall: His Life and Work_ by Isaac Kloomok?" Bill said and he leafed through the book.

"Yep," Mattlock said.

"This is a big book for a kindergartner," Bill said.

"C.J.'s smart. I bet she can read all the words," Mattlock said.

"What made you pick this one for her?" Bill asked.

"The pictures look fun. I wish they were in color. There was one in the museum on the wall that was in color and I liked it," Mattlock replied.

"These paintings do have a certain amount of light-heartedness. I must agree," Bill said.

"Even if she can't read the whole book, her momma and daddy could read it with her and they might enjoy it too," Mattlock said.

"Says here in the foreword, that this artist is Jewish. Was that a reason for your choice?" Bill asked.

"I just told Aunt Flo everything I knew about C.J. That she was smart, funny, strong, likes to color, what her momma and daddy do, and that she and her momma are Jewish. Aunt Flo showed me this book and I liked the pictures, so I picked it," Mattlock said.

"I see. Well, he looks like a very interesting artist. I think it's an excellent choice," Bill replied as he squeezed Mattlock closer to him. "I think she'll love it."

"I think she will too," Mattlock said, smiling at the book on his lap.

"Would you like help wrapping it or would you like to handle that yourself?" Bill asked.

"I think I can do it," Mattlock said confidently.

"I meant to tell you that I'm hoping to have C.J.'s daddy out here this coming Saturday on a legal consultation. And I was going to have him bring C.J. if he can, and if she wants to come. Would you like that?"

"Oh yes!" Mattlock said.

"Well, don't get your hopes up just yet. I haven't asked Roger yet, and he may be busy. You may have to wait until school starts to give C.J. her present," Bill explained.

"That's alright," Mattlock replied.

That night, Bill called Roger and he said he was available that coming Saturday and said that he'd bring C.J. Cynthia was working at the hospital since it was New Year's Eve day and would be working through the night, and Julia's family was going to still be out of town for the holidays. Wednesday through Friday, Mattlock played with his new toys and got acquainted with his new pony and even rode her a few times.

Roger and C.J. arrived just after lunch on Saturday. They pulled up the driveway and parked and walked up to the front door of the Houston mansion. Roger visually explored the large building and whistled to himself.

"Why'd you whistle, Daddy?" C.J. asked.

"It's a big place, isn't it?" Roger said.

"Very big," she concurred as she looked around.

Roger knocked on the door and Bill answered. "Hi Roger. Was it hard to find the place?" Bill asked.

"Not at all," Roger said.

Bill turned to C.J. "And how are you, C.J.?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Mr. Houston," she said in a mature tone. She wore her hair in a single ponytail with bangs and wore her jeans, saddle shoes, and a turquoise gingham shirt under a long-sleeved camel colored corduroy jacket.

Mattlock bounded by Bill and almost ran right into C.J. "Hiya C.J.!" he said excitedly.

"Hi," she said with a big smile.

"You have to come see what I got for Christmas," Mattlock said, taking her by the hand and heading toward the barn.

"Son, slow down," Bill shouted after him. "Don't drag C.J. around like that." But C.J. kept up just fine, leaving Bill and Roger together to talk business.

Once they arrived at the barn, it was immediately evident what Mattlock was going to show her. "You got a pony for Christmas?" she asked with enthusiasm. She ran up to the pony and started petting her mane immediately. "Oh, she's so pretty!"

"I think I'm going to name her 'Miss Kitty' after Miss Kitty on _Gunsmoke,_" Mattlock said.

"A pony named 'Kitty?'" C.J. replied and then laughed. "That's funny!"

Mattlock laughed too.

"Did you have fun with your cousin?" C.J. asked while she was petting the pony.

"We had SO much fun," Mattlock replied. "We played in my tree house and rode horses and played with our Christmas presents. We got lost in the woods after dark and almost got in trouble."

"Was it scary?" C.J. asked with her eyes wide open.

"A little. Just before they found us," Mattlock said. He puffed out his chest. "Will was scared and I kept him calm."

She looked at him askance. "My momma would have been worried if I went missing. My daddy too," C.J. said.

"Everyone was worried, but we weren't gone long."

Bo and Lamar walked up to Mattlock and C.J. Bo leaned on the railing in the pony's stall and pushed back his hat. Lamar stood there with his hands in his pockets.

"Well, hey, Mattlock. Are you going to introduce us to your friend?" Bo asked.

"This is C.J." Mattlock replied.

"Well, hi C.J. I'm Bo. Are you the one that knocked Mattlock on his hind end not too long ago?"

"Yes," she said with a big smile and put her hands in her pockets.

"Well, I like your style, girl," Bo replied.

"I sure wish I would have been there to see that," Lamar said with a laugh.

"Bo, Lamar….you're embarrassing me," Mattlock said.

"Ohhhhh….Did you hear that, Lamar? We better leave these two alone," Bo said to Lamar with a wink.

"Okay. Let us know if you want to take the pony out for a ride. We'll be over on the other side of the barn," Lamar said, rubbing Mattlock on the head.

Mattlock straightened his hair as the two men walked away. "What have you been doing?" Mattlock asked C.J.

"I went to Gramma and Grampa's for Christmas," she said.

"What did you get?" Mattlock asked.

She hesitated before answering. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure," he replied.

"I don't like what Gramma picks out for me," she said.

He leaned against the pony's stall and listened intently.

"She gets me dolls and lots of _girlie_ toys. Some of that is okay, but I don't like _all _of my presents like that," she said.

"What do you like?" Mattlock asked.

"I like coloring, drawing, painting, and writing stories. I like reading. I like playing outside. I don't want to be cooped up inside playing with dolls. I might want to play sports when I get bigger," she said.

"Have you told your gramma?" Mattlock asked.

"Momma has. She doesn't listen to her or Daddy," she replied.

"That's too bad," Mattlock said. "Hey, do you want to ride my pony?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Miss Kitty?" she said, laughing again.

"Yep," he replied.

"Yes!" she exclaimed.

"Bo!" Mattlock yelled.

Bo walked over to the two children. "Are you ready to take this 'horse' out for a ride?" Bo asked.

"Yep," Mattlock said.

"Well, let's teach C.J. how to saddle up this pony," Bo replied. "What do you think, C.J.?"

"Sure!" she exclaimed.

Bo demonstrated and C.J. watched, and then he took the saddle off again and let C.J. try her hand at it. She mastered it right away.

"Well, girl… good job. Got it on the first try," Bo said.

"Mattlock, are you gonna drive this pony?" Bo asked.

"Yep!" Mattlock said as he climbed in the saddle.

"Okay, girl," Bo said as he lifted C.J. before she could say anything. Mattlock scooted forward in the saddle. "There ya go," Bo said as he placed her behind Mattlock on the pony.

"Now, you better hold onto Mattlock. This pony's gentle, but sometimes she springs forward fast," Bo said.

C.J. put her arms around Mattlock's waist.

"Hey Lamar, you need to come over here and look at this," Bo yelled with a smile.

Lamar walked over from another side of the barn. He pushed his hat back and smiled and said, "Well, would you look at that?"

"Lamar, it's times like this I wish I had a camera. This is just about as picture perfect as it gets," Bo said with a smile.

"Can we go now?" Mattlock asked impatiently.

"Sure," Bo said. "Now don't you wander off like you did the other day. I'd like to keep my job. Make sure you just ride around the yard and barn, okay?"

"Okay," Mattlock said.

The two rode Mattlock's pony for a while, talking about what they did on their holidays and wishing they had more time before they had to go back to school. Bo and Lamar watched them as they worked on cutting fence posts outside the barn – never letting them out of their sights. After about an hour of riding, Mattlock brought them back to the barn and they put Miss Kitty in her stall.

"I got you a present," Mattlock said.

"You did?" C.J. said. "I didn't get you anything."

"You didn't have to. I thought about how you said you give gifts on Hanukah and I wanted to give you one," Mattlock said. "It's in the house."

The two walked up to the house and went inside. Roger and Bill were talking in the living room. "Hello, Mattlock. I didn't get to say hello to you earlier….You were in such a hurry."

"Hi Mr. Parsons," Mattlock replied. "I'm gonna go upstairs and get something." He left C.J. standing with the two men in the living room and ran right back down with a wrapped package in his hand.

"Sit here," he said, pointing to a chair in the living room while Roger and Bill looked on. She looked at him with a sideways glance and climbed up on the chair and sat down. Mattlock handed her the package. She looked at it and then looked at him and started unwrapping the haphazardly wrapped gift. When she revealed the gift, he leaned on the arm of the chair and said, "He's a painter. It's a book about his life," Mattlock said.

Reading the cover, she said, "I see that." She leafed through the pages and smiled.

Mattlock smiled when he saw her smile. "I wish you could see it in color," he said.

"I like it," she replied. "His paintings are pretty and make me happy and sad at the same time." She stopped on a page. "I like this one called _The Three Candles_. It doesn't need to be in color for me to like it," she said.

"It's weird, but I like it. I like this one," Mattlock replied as he leafed through the book and pointed to the painting, _Paris Through the Window_.

"C.J. does it look difficult to read to you?" Bill asked.

"I can read some of it. Momma or Daddy can read me the rest. Right, Daddy?" she said to Roger.

"You bet, baby," Roger said with a smile. "I think we'll all enjoy it. Her mother and I both like art too," Roger said to Bill.

"Mattlock's Aunt Flo is an artist. She helped him pick out the gift," Bill said. Roger nodded.

Mattlock and C.J. looked at her new book together, and then he showed C.J. all that he had gotten for Christmas and Bill and Roger continued their meeting until it's conclusion around 3 o'clock when Roger and C.J. got ready to leave.

"Thanks for coming over on a Saturday, Roger. I appreciate it," Bill said.

"I don't mind. C.J. really wanted to come over too and I'm glad they got to spend some time together. We'll have to do this again sometime," Roger said.

"Say goodbye to C.J., Mattlock," Bill said.

Mattlock frowned, but said, "Bye C.J. I guess I'll see you at school."

"You will," she said confidently and adjusted her ponytail. "I had fun on the pony ride and thanks for the present. I love it."

"You're welcome," Mattlock said. Bill and Roger smiled at the pair.

"Okay, baby. Let's go," Roger said.

"Nice seeing you again, C.J. Don't be a stranger," Bill said.

"Thanks, Mr. Houston," she replied.

Roger and C.J. left the house and got in the car and drove off. Bill walked with Mattlock back to the mansion and into the living room.

"Did you have a good time today, son?" Bill asked.

"Yes, Daddy, I did," Mattlock replied.

"I'm glad, son," Bill replied.

C.J. came over to the Houston mansion a few times, and eventually, Mattlock and her were in the same first grade classroom and saw each other more and more.


End file.
